The Pack of Destiny and Life
by The Imperator 2 you
Summary: The gift of life is precious, and not easily forsaken, but can easily be lost. David, a young writer in Kalos is about to take on a journey he didn't expect to take. But when fate gives him a duty he did not want after a fateful encounter with a Houndoom, he must take up the role he unexpectedly inherits. He must lead a pack of Pokemon, and become their new leader.
1. Chapter 1

[Prologue]

 _Sometimes, one's life is forsaken, but not by those around that life._

 _When one concerns themselves with the lives of others, they feel their own life is inconsequential compared to the millions out there._

 _So it was with one Trainer who began his journey from Vaniville Town, when the lives of an entire planet came under threat, he and his friends rose to defend it, believing in their cause and their dreams._

 _Yet when victory was assured, and the lives of countless saved, it came at a still heavy price. Lives were still lost, whether good or bad mattered not in the eyes of nature._

 _But for one team, that young Trainer's team, whom followed him, fought with him, protected him, and cared about him so deeply that the mere thought of losing him horrified them. It was a price they would give anything to not pay._

 _So as he began to take his final breaths, his fate unknown and hidden to his human friends and family, they turned their eyes and begged the only one among them with the power, to save his life, declaring they'd give anything including their own if she'd spare his life._

 _So it was that one Pokemon made a pact with all of them, to sacrifice their lives so their souls could be reborn._

 _For them, enduring death with their Trainer, was easier than to live life without him._

 _Upon each a mark was left, that would compel them to find one another and unite with their dear Trainer once again._

 _To the Trainer, and his Pokemon, visions and dreams would remind them of what they once had, and guide them to identify one another._

 _As the pact was made, each Pokemon took their final breath with their Trainer's, so that together they could be reborn with him._

 _Friendship, companionship, respect, admiration, and love drove this team to this decision, so moved was the Life Pokemon that she too chose to mark herself, and with the ball that once held her, left the small scene to seek out the place, where even as her new Trainer died, he was being reborn to a new life, to await his return and watch over him._

 _Six lives died in one night, saving the world that they treasured so, but that very same night, across the region of Kalos, six new lives were brought forth into the world._

 _Some bonds are so powerful, so deeply connected between individuals, that not even death itself can break it._

 _So it was with this team that trialed through all challenges, unable to complete their journey because fate chose to intervene, that they would join their Trainer, not in death, but in rebirth, to resume the journey that fate sought to deny._

=Chapter 1, Dreams of Another Life=

(David's PoV)

"Alright Sophia, I'm heading out!" David yelled to his Furfrou. "I'll be back in a while!"

" **Furfrou!"** Sophia barked.

Sophia, a three foot tall, dog like Pokemon with thick white fur covering her back, legs, body, and head, looked at him preparing to leave with only a piece of paper and what he was wearing. Only her muzzle and face could be seen past her soft fur, and her amber colored eyes showed him that she was curious about where he was going.

"Don't worry, I'm just going to visit Lucy to sing her my latest song, see what she thinks of it before I send it off to Lumiose City." He said with a chuckle, referring to the Absol that wandered into Route 6.

" **Frou!"** Sophia barked again, catching his attention as he left their small cabin.

He turned to see his Furfrou trot toward him with a small earpiece in her mouth, wagging her tail happily as she held it out to him. "Oh thanks girl, almost forgot it!" He said, taking the device and holding it up to his ear before turning it on. "What would I do without you girl?"

" **I wouldn't know darling, but if you didn't have me, you'd probably forget to put your head on if it wasn't attached to your body!"** She barked at him with a grin before trotting back over to her bed. **"Well take care, you know how dangerous it is out there. I honestly don't see why you won't let me come with you to keep you safe. You know that large group of Pokemon's leader doesn't exactly favor humans."**

"I know, but Lucy says she makes sure he stays away from where we meet." He said, chuckling at how protective Sophia was of him. "I trust what she says, so I know we'll be fine."

Ever since they were born both he and Sophia were together and the best of friends. Even now when he was eighteen years old and on his own, she still stayed with him. They were born together, practically at the same time when his mother gave birth to him at Mercy Hospital in Lumiose City, while Sophia's mother gave birth to her in his family's apartment, more specifically his parent's closet where she slept.

After that the two were practically inseparable, when Sophia was old enough to walk she followed him wherever he went. Once he was old enough for school she would try to follow him, occasionally sneaking out to follow him to school. Eventually it got to the point where his parents and her mother just gave up trying to keep Sophia from following him. Yet they were the best of friends, and neither wanted to be parted from the other. One of their favorite activities was watching Kalos Champion Serena battling on the PokeChannel, along with her Mega Absol.

So when the time came for David to spread his wings and leave his parent's apartment to find his own place to live, Sophia was right there alongside him.

She was also very protective of him, as whenever he ran into trouble, she would defend him as though his life were on the line. She would get vicious whenever any bully tried anything on him, whether it was picking on him for pocket money, or trying to trip him and make him look bad, she always reacted fiercely to his defense. But she made sure not to go too far, only far enough to keep him safe.

" **I'm glad you got that thing repaired by the way, really annoying having to see you guess what I'm saying."** Sophia said with a chuckle.

"Well excuse me for leaving it on the sink, I thought it would be fine!" He moaned. "How was I supposed to know that dish soap is bad for it?"

He was also glad for the new device that Sycamore developed to allow Pokemon and Humans to communicate with each other. It was only in its early development stages, so it wasn't always able to translate what a Pokemon says, at least those not native to Kalos. Yet it worked quite well with Pokemon that were native to Kalos, translating with 95% efficiency. He remembered seeing it on the news with Sophia when they were younger, about how he and a group of kids he gave Pokedex's had worked together to create it. Something about them honoring the memory of a young Trainer who started out their journey with them, but didn't get the chance to finish it with them.

"Well in any case, I'll be back in a few, when I do I'll make some of our favorite Rawst Berry Soup." He said with a chuckle.

" **Yay, Rawst Berries!"** Sophia barked happily as he closed the door.

As he left his cabin, he looked back at it before again, wondering to himself, why he chose to live out here, far away from Camphrier Town? "Well that's obvious, because it's nice and quiet out here!" He said with a chuckle, heading down Route 6 and toward a trail which would lead him to where he would meet with Lucy the Absol.

(Sophia's PoV)

[An Unwavering Heart – Pokemon X/Y]

" **Sigh, I hate whenever he goes out on his own like this."** She whispered as she curled up and laid down on her little bed. **"Never know if he's going to come back unharmed or with a broken limb. Jerk needs to take me with him."**

She sighed in frustration as she decided she needed to look at her reflection. Looking up she jumped onto David's bed, and trotted over to the small side table which held the alarm clock, a picture of her and David when they were kids, and of course the mirror he used when waking up in the morning to brush his hair.

She looked at her reflection, noticing how her left eye had a faint X where her iris and pupil were, but only concerning herself with how she looked. She'd had that strange birthmark ever since she was old enough to realize it was there. Her mother had no idea what it was, having had no such mark herself, nor her mother or her mother's mother. The Pokemon Center couldn't explain it, nobody knew where it came from, but it didn't affect her vision one way or another.

" **Oh David, when will you understand how much I care about you?"** She said, asking her reflection and wishing it would talk back to her.

Ever since she was a pup, something told her to find and follow David wherever he went. Protect him against anything and everything, no matter how dangerous or pathetic. The fact that they were almost inseparable, only added to how she felt about him.

She cared about him, dearly, but not so much that she would mate with him, however if he ever wanted to, she was more than willing to go through with the act. Love between Pokemon and Humans wasn't something she knew very much of. Sure she had her suspicions living in Lumiose, what house bred Furfrou doesn't listen to gossip while being trimmed when their barber didn't think they were listening.

" **Would he even find me attractive, that's what I don't know."** She said as she placed a paw on the mirror. **"Sure my fur is soft, but look at me, I'm a Natural Furfrou, maybe if I were another style he'd like me but..."** She sighed as she jumped back down. **"Whatever, as long as he comes back safe and sound, that's enough for me."**

She curled back up in her bed and tried to sleep, but sleeping would mean dreaming, and her dreams had never been ones she wanted to wake from. They were so nice many times, she and David would be on an adventure, traveling through dark tunnels, battling Trainers next to the sea, looking at herself in a beautiful mirror wall in an underground cave. All alongside four other Pokemon with him. Though she couldn't recall what species or their names were in the dreams, they were still amazing to her. It almost felt familiar, as if she knew everyone in there, especially her Trainer.

Then of course, there was the nightmare. She could feel it every time it approached, and wished she wouldn't ever have it. The thought that she was watching David, lying on the ground with a piece of metal stuck inside of him, piercing his lungs, slowly drowning himself in his own blood. Every time it happened she would wake up, and in fear that David was dying jumped up onto the bed to see him sleeping soundly.

" **Oh David, I don't get why I'm having these specific dreams of you, but I will never let you suffer such pain if it's within my power."** Sophia said, closing her eyes to take a nap, waiting for her human master to return home, where she knew he was safe.

(David's PoV)

"Lucy, where are you?" David called out as he wandered off the normal path of Route 6, taking care to watch where he was going.

The reason he was being so cautious was because this was the territory of a very large group of Pokemon with a hidden layer underground. Their leader, a Houndoom, was a Pokemon that was once a Trainer's, however because his Trainer treated him very poorly, to the point where he lost an eye due to abuse, the Trainer was arrested. The Houndoom however, ran away before it could be given over for adoption with the rest of the team. Now it was the leader of this huge group of Pokemon, numbering roughly two hundred and in control of this territory that most people don't travel down.

However this place was very important to David, not only was it where Lucy met him, it was also where he met his other friend. A female Pokemon he called Xena. "But at the moment I need to find that Absol Lucy, where is she?" David asked himself as he looked around. "Lucy, where are you?"

Meanwhile, watching him were a pair of red eyes. Waiting for the human treading on this territory to walk away, just ever so much. Enough to jump at a full run. As he walked further down the path, those eyes saw their chance, instantly a flash of white jumped forward and charged straight at him.

David turned around to see a large blur of white fur with a dark grey face and matching colored sickle and scythe tail charging him, with a gleam in its eyes and mouth opened in an evil grin. Before he could prepare himself, Lucy the Absol pounced him, and began licking and nuzzling him excitedly.

"Alright you got me!" David said, laughing uncontrollably as Lucy continued to tickle him. "You win I give up, I give up!"

" **Hehehe, gotcha that time David!"** Lucy said as she looked up at him with caring eyes. **"Did I surprise you?"**

"I think my surprised face is proof of that." He said, still laughing at how she caught him off guard. "How are you Lucy, you alright?"

" **Oh, the usual, getting by each day!"** She replied with another hearty chuckle, staring at him even as he stared into her eyes, especially her left one, which had a strange X mark within the iris and pupil of her eye. **"Staring at my birthmark again huh? I keep telling you I have no idea how I got it, as far as I know Absol don't have it naturally."**

"It's alright, I've got one as well if you recall." David said, pointing at his own left eye.

He too had this strange birthmark on his eye, doctors could never explain it, and often he thought he'd need glasses or it was an infection of some sort. Yet after a few years of worrying and nothing ever happening, he stopped bothering with it. It was just something that made him look cool.

" **Yep, maybe it means were destined for each other."** Lucy said with a sly tone in her voice.

"What are you talking about?" David asked as they resumed walking toward their favorite spot, where Xena often met him and he'd spend time when he was younger.

" **Oh nothing Big-D."** Lucy said with a chuckle. **"So what brings you out here tonight, got another song you're working on?"**

"You bet." He said as they saw the dead looking tree which marked the lovely grove, their favorite section of the forest. "Looks like Xena isn't here today again." He said with a sigh.

When his mother was traveling from Lumiose to Camphrier Town to help out as a volunteer while her husband was busy traveling to earn money, David had gone and left their hotel room to try and explore, leaving a sleeping Sophie behind. He got lost in the woods and wouldn't have found his way back, if it weren't for a very beautiful as well as kind Pokemon that he met. They played for a few hours before he realized he had to get back, and she was more than kind enough to carry him back to town on her back.

Though he never did catch her species' name.

"Well in any case, I know she doesn't mind when we sit here, so you ready to hear my latest song lyrics?" David asked, taking a seat in a soft part of the grove, surrounded by colorful flowers and lovely green trees.

" **My ears are ready."** Lucy said as she laid next to him, watching him unfurl a small piece of paper with his lyrics on it.

"Ahem." He said, clearing his throat.

" _When the final Pidgey flies, over the disappearing plains of emerald grass. When the final Gallade stands, over the fallen trees of the forest. When the final Magikarp swims, in the foul smelling river. You will see her, old and faded, she's the last hope of dreams."_

As he sang his sad song, he could have sworn that the dead tree they were lying next to bent ever so slightly toward them. But he didn't pay it attention because it was after all, just a dead tree.

" _When you feel the fading light of sunset, and its warmth leaves you shivering. And you look to the sky, only to see dark clouds gathering. And it seems all hope is lost, and you let sorrow rule your soul. In the distance, hear her song now, she's the last hope for dreams!"_

" _We're alive, still alive my friends…"_

Lucy listened to his song, smiling gently as she nuzzled his shoulder cheerfully.

" _When the last Lunatone awakens, on a starless night. And the hopes of a brighter future are spent, without even a whisper of ever being. Then look through the trees and forest, see her standing with love and kindness. She's the last hope for dreams!"_

 _"We're alive, still alive my friends..."_

As he finished he started scratching Lucy's head, more particularly a bit of fur that hung over the left side of her face, causing her to purr. As they sat there, a loud howling sounded in the distance, and Lucy looked up nervously. **"Sounds like the chief is calling us all together."** She said to him, referring to her pack's leader. **"Probably another boring meeting about the dangers of being near humans."**

"Well best be careful, I hear we humans are dangerous." David said with a laugh, causing Lucy to giggle as well.

" **Oh yes, please oh merciful human, don't hurt me with your lack of claws and tiny fangs!"** Lucy said, pretending to beg in front of him. **"In any case I better get going, or I'm going to get an earful from the boss. See you tomorrow perhaps?"**

"Sure thing, see you tomorrow Lucy." He said as he watched her leaving. "She is always so protective of me."

He only met Lucy two years ago, when he moved into the small cabin, but ever since he met her Lucy has always been super protective of him. She would often make sure she got a night patrol around where he lived to keep him out of danger. She also would make sure that her leader, the Houndoom that hated humans, never caught wind of where he was or where he was going.

"Well in any case, better get back home, Sophia's probably going to chew me out as well." He said, already picturing his Furfrou friend getting ready to bark angrily at him.

=Somewhere Underground=

(Lucy's PoV, Many hours later)

" **Another boring meeting, as usual."** Lucy complained as she left the meeting chamber with all the other Pokemon.

" **It's always boring to you, it's just the leader telling us our orders for the night and tomorrow morning!"** A Luxio said to her. **"Why do you always think their boring? He always warns us and reminds us about how dangerous humans can be."**

" **Don't you know Lux, Lucy here has her eyes on a certain human that lives alone in a cabin where she always patrols!"** Another Luxio said behind them, getting giggles from all those Pokemon that were close enough to hear.

Lucy blushed furiously but said nothing. **"Shut up about that."** She hissed, looking over her shoulder and hoping the Pack Leader wasn't nearby to hear.

" **Lucy you know that humans capture Pokemon in those tiny balls, and keep them prisoners against their wills. Why do you like them so much?"**

Lucy refused to answer, knowing that what she said was partially true. Yet something told her, that wasn't so for all humans. And it most certainly wasn't true for David, he wasn't a Trainer, he wasn't cruel or mean, he was just a writer of songs, living a humble and simple life that he was happy with. **"Well dear, I won't say anything, just be careful alright?"** The first Luxio said with a worried expression as they entered the chamber with an underground lake, lit by luminescent moss and glowing rocks. **"If the leader ever learns that you have a thing for that human, he'll no doubt kill him, maybe even you."**

" **He won't dare lay a paw on David if he knows what's good for him!"** Lucy growled to herself.

As they separated she wandered over to a secluded spot where she liked to be alone and simply looked down at the water, staring at that mark on her eyes. She looked her appearance in the water, and wished she'd been born different, if for no other reason than so that blasted Houndoom of a leader would stop trying to get her attention.

" **Thinking about something Lucy?"** A gentle and calm voice said to her as ripples in the water flowed toward her.

Lucy looked up to see a large eight foot tall water Pokemon float toward her, an elongated neck and hardened coral like shell on his back, and a gentle look in his eyes. This was her closest friend here in the Pack, Terance was his name, an odd name for a Lapras, but nevertheless he was Lucy's best friend.

Another reason why he was her best friend, was that because he too had a strange mark on his left eye, just like her. It was an X in his eye where his pupil and iris were, he didn't know why he had it, but like her and David, he had it since he was born.

" **Oh the usual, stupid leader and his stupid warnings about humans."** She complained to him.

" **And said stupid leader trying to get you to mate with him?"** Terance asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lucy nodded in confirmation, as before the meeting happened he had once again tried to seduce her into becoming his Prime Mate. Ever since his last Prime Mate died giving birth, he's been looking for a new mate to take her place. Half of the pack females would gladly give anything to be in her position, for she had been the lucky Absol that caught his eye. He could have any female he wanted, and he wanted her, to the other females it would have been an honor to mate with him and become his Prime Mate.

Unfortunately, she had refused and denied him every single time he tried, and it was starting to get obvious as to the reason why. Because she had her eye on a certain human, and wanted her first time to be with someone she loved.

And she most certainly didn't love the Houndoom that was her pack's leader.

" **I don't get why you won't just find someone to mate with, settle down with a nice Pokemon, like that Luxray who takes care of the nursery."** Terance said with a sigh, beaching himself so she could climb onto his shell. **"I'm sure there's at least one Pokemon you can settle down with here that would make you happy. Why do you insist on something you know is never going to happen as long as you live here?"**

She refused to answer that, after all he couldn't understand her predicament. **"I just don't want to be with anyone else."** She said stubbornly. **"Besides, something tells me to be with David, and as long as he lives in that cabin near our den, I can't just leave here. The Leader will kill him if I don't keep him safe, and I need to keep him safe! If not me than nobody else will."**

Terance nodded as he pushed himself off and began swimming around so they could be alone. **"I suppose so, I do wish I could see him though."** Terance said intelligently. **"However, I can't really see him, considering I'm stuck to living in the water."**

Lucy chuckled at Terance's comment, for he too had been drawn here for some reason or another. He had left his mate behind in the ocean after being with her for so many years, leaving her to care for their young with the rest of their pod. She had figured his mate would be upset, but no she wanted him to leave her. Something about him always looking for something and being very depressed the longer he stayed with her, and wanting him to be happy.

Despite how much he loved her, their pod, and their young, like her something was calling him to search for something. Something that mattered so much to him that he had to leave the safety of the pod to journey and find it. She forgave him, and told him to find what it was he had to find, saying that she could see it in his eyes, that whatever it was he was looking for was so very important to him.

Which led him to eventually finding her, and of course their small journey to this den. When she found David, she felt as if she no longer needed to journey, and after hearing her talk about David, Terance also felt as though he had found what he was looking for. Terance wanted to protect David alongside Lucy, so when she went out on patrols for the den, he kept an eye and ear out for the leader, making sure to keep track of his movements.

If he ever left the den when he wasn't supposed to, he would sing, as he often did to make all Pokemon fall asleep. Of course he used the excuse that he was singing in lament for missing his mate, and all was forgiven. But in honesty, he was doing it to keep the Houndoom from leaving.

The only mystery they couldn't understand was why they wanted to protect David, Lucy had her reasons but Terance never even met him. Yet he felt the same desire to protect that human.

" **Hey Terance, do you remember your dreams?"** Lucy asked quietly as they floated near the center of the lake.

" **Yea, a few."** He replied. **"Why do you ask?"**

" **I always have these dreams, fun dreams, nice dreams…"** She said, her voice trailing. **"All of them about me, and this Trainer, on a journey…"**

" **You and others traveling the region, visiting far off lands you never even imagined, with a** **Trainer you care about and who in turn cared about you."** Terance continued, looking back at her with a knowing smile. **"Yep, I have them as well. Especially this one nightmare, where our Trainer dies… and it frightens me greatly each time I have it."**

" **Yea… me too."** Lucy said, wishing she could go on an adventure like what she saw in her dreams, but without the threat of losing her trainer.

She shook her head, suddenly thinking of David being killed and shaking the thought out of her head. **"In any case, as long as David's safe and sound, I don't mind being here."** She said.

" **Same here Lucy, same here."** Terance said as he continued to drift in the water.

While they drifted out in the lake, a Houndoom watched the pair from the land, hidden by a stalagmite and glaring angrily at them. More specifically, glaring at the Absol.

=Night Time, David's Cabin=

(David's PoV)

"Ready for bed Sophia?" David asked as he finished changing into his night clothes.

" **Ready!"** Sophia barked from her little bed.

As he climbed into bed Sophia jumped up alongside him and curled up next to him. "What do you want?" Knowing she only slept in his bed when she wanted something.

" **Sing me a lullaby please?"** She asked.

David sighed and started scratching her fur to make her comfortable, before starting to sing her favorite lullaby.

" _Mountains and skies as far as eyes can see, dreams, please don't leave me…"_

Sophia nuzzled him sweetly, starting to get tired.

" _Sweet perfumes of bellflower lilies, will we, find our own way?"_

" _Love... don't… leave me! And bestow upon me an unbroken…"_

" _Life of dreams…"_

He could feel Sophia slowly drifting off to her dreams, and knew he would soon follow behind her.

" _Despair like dark clouds, soon drift away. A white call heals our sapphire calls, here in dark of night!"_

" _Like the stars above, we will shine, through it all my dear."_

" _Love… don't… leave me!"_

He gave Sophia a small kiss on her forehead as she snored next to him, before he finished his lullaby.

" _And bestow upon me an unbroken… life of… dreams!"_

He turned off his lamp and covered both of them with their blanket, preparing them for bed. He was happy to have Sophia in his life, but somewhere deep down, he felt incomplete. It was like he was missing something, or someone, like there should be someone else there that wasn't there.

"Oh well, another day another night." He whispered as he closed his eyes, and fell asleep with his Furfrou."

…

…..

…..

=Author's Notes=

Hello everyone, this is your Imperator calling, as some of you may notice this story might be similar to one that another person wrote, called Pack Master.

Yes, that's where I got the inspiration to write this, HOWEVER, let me just assure you all, that the idea and theme is the ONLY thing I took, the story itself is my own. So no hating on the story.

Second, no I'm not stoping Arceus' Book, however these two stories will intertwine and connect to one another in the long run. As Jacob and David will interact with one another.

As to why I'm writing this story, this is to honor not only my team that I lost in X, but for all those out there who have had that one team they could never forget, that meant so much to them that they still keep them to this day.

And yes, as the… context of this story hints… there will be… lemons.

Forgive me but I've never written lemons before so… give me some time to get used to it…

See you next time!

P.S. whoever it was who guessed Anita's name, nice job. But it's not who you think it is XD


	2. Chapter 2

_*I wonder how much longer…*_

 _*Before what was once separated…*_

 _*Is made whole?*_

=Chapter 2, Fate's Intervention=

(David's PoV)

"Alright, I'll be back later Sophia." David said, taking his lyrics that he had revised yesterday as he prepared to leave.

" **Alright darling, be careful out there!"** Sophia barked.

"That's what you always say, I promise I'll be fine." He said. "Be back later!"

He closed the door and took off down the road with an extra spring in his step.

Last night he had come up with new lyrics to his song, changed some out, and refined the theme and tempo. Now all he needed to do was see what his 'audience' thought of it, Sophia liked it alright, but Lucy would judge it.

He also had another dream last night, another similar to other dreams he's had over his life, of him and Sophia, as well as other Pokemon on his team. In this dream he was a Trainer, traveling the world, visiting famous places like the Tower of Mastery, Reflection Cave, Lumiose City's Power Plant, and even a Lost Hotel. All along the way making friends and getting to know a team of Pokemon that he came to deeply care for, and who in turn deeply cared about him.

He could vaguely remember the Pokemon that were on his team. He recalled that he had a full team of six at one point. There was a Furfrou, who looked eerily like Sophia, and an Absol that also looked eerily like Lucy. Then there were others that he couldn't recall the names of, but he knew were called Lapras, Lucario, and a Braixen. The sixth he couldn't remember entirely, but he felt that it was important, very important.

"Oh well, no point in trying to remember something that's only a dream." He said with a chuckle, wishing he could remember those dreams. "Sure, I'd love to be a Trainer, but there's no way I'm good enough to be one. Heck, I can barely make a living writing song lyrics."

As he turned to leave the normal path, heading into the forest to where he usually meets up with Lucy, he had this strange feeling that something was wrong. As if someone important was in terrible danger. Shaking it off as just him being overly cautious, he continued to head toward where he would meet Lucy.

(Lucy's PoV)

Lucy struggled her hardest against the two Pokemon next to her, both of whom were Meowstic of both genders, and both had her bound with tree branches to prevent her from breaking free. **"Leave him alone, he's done nothing wrong!"** Lucy begged for the umpteenth time to her Pack Leader.

The Pack Leader, a Houndoom whom everyone referred to as Scar, a name he gave himself to refer to the injury that robbed him of one eye which left a scar on his face, paced back and forth in front of Lucy. He stood four foot tall and looked intimidating to Lucy with that scar on his face, and extremely sharp claws that he could slice boulders with without even trying.

He glared at Lucy and growled warningly for her to be silent. **"I don't care, he's come too close to our den and our pack, he's a threat and I will deal with him as I would any other threat!"**

Lucy shook her head, still pleading as best she could while she was bound. **"No he means no harm, he's not a Trainer Scar, and he can't hurt anyone!"** She said, trying to make him see reason. **"He lives alone with a Furfrou, and she can barely fight off an Eevee let alone you! Just leave him alone I promise he won't ever come near us again!"**

Scar didn't stop pacing as he watched the small path from the safety of the tall grass, until a few minutes after she made her outburst. Then he turned to stare at her with his cruel merciless eyes. **"Give me one reason why I should spare him!"** He growled. **"I've told you countless times, Humans cannot be trusted. Show them kindness and their greed will rear up eventually. Give them a handout and they will demand more, offer them sanctuary and they will take your pups."**

" **He's not the same, I'm begging you please!"** Lucy cried now, trying desperately to break free of her restraints. **"He's a good human, he's a good human. He's a good human I tell you! I'll do anything Scar, anything, just please spare him!"**

Scar silenced her with a swipe of his claws against her fur, slicing off an inch of fur near where her sickle was. Then he growled again before speaking. **"Listen to me you pathetic excuse for a Pokemon, I do not care if you desire to be with this human. But you will never, ever, threaten our den by interacting or bringing him close to it. I am doing this for the good of the Pack, as leader I am sworn to protect it against any threats that I see. This human is a threat, so he will be dealt with."**

In the distance they heard the words Lucy knew would be sounding at around this time, and she only became more desperate upon hearing them.

"Lucy, where are you?" They heard a male human's voice call out.

Scar peaked through the tall grass and chuckled to himself. **"Look at him, walking as though nothing's wrong."** He whispered as they watched David approaching.

Lucy tried to scream but as per Scar's orders the twins gagged her mouth with a particularly thick stick. Now all she could do was cry tears and moan in desperation as she was forced to watch David get closer to where she would normally surprise him. Seeing and sensing her distress, the Twins chose to spoke up.

" **Scar, are you sure this course of action is necessary?"** Nera asked politely. **"He doesn't appear to be a threat to us in any way, shape or form. I also cannot detect any evil intents from him."**

" **Yes, this human does appear to be what Lucy describes."** Yara suggested calmly. **"He appears to have no Pokemon to protect him, and his inexperience about our territory is proof even now. He clearly does not suspect us being here."**

Scar only gave Yara and Nera a split second to think about their decision to speak up and apologize. **"Never mind leader, ignore what we said."** Nera said quickly.

" **That's what I thought."** He mumbled. **"Humans are all evil, and they deserve no mercy from me. This human is no different and will be treated no differently."** He glanced at Lucy as she silently pleaded with her pack leader to spare David. **"And you'll watch as I kill your beloved human that you would have whored yourself to just to make him happy!"**

Lucy shook her head furiously, trying to tell him that it wasn't true, but he ignored her and waited for David to get close enough. She turned to Nera and Yara, trying to make them see reason and release her so she could save him. But all the two Meowstics could do was wait solemnly for their leader to carry out his task.

" **We're sorry Lucy, but we don't have any choice."** Nera said sadly as she closed her eyes, but kept her psychic powers active. **"Scar is the leader, and as his bodyguards and advisors, our duty is to obey and protect him. If he says this action must be taken, then we cannot question it."**

" **Indeed, all we can do now is hope Scar gives David a quick and painless death."** Yara said as he too shielded his eyes to avoid seeing what Scar would do.

They all watched David get closer, inch by inch to where Scar and his group were hiding. Lucy struggled more desperately, ferociously, in a vain hope that she could break free of her bonds even enough to warn David to run. Anything to prevent him from dying. However she was unable to, and watched her human that she had become close to, move to where she would normally catch him off guard to surprise him.

Only this time it was Scar who would do so, and to kill him, simply because he was a human, and secretly because she loved him.

"Lucy, are you trying to surprise me again?" David called out. "Come on, we go through this every time I visit."

" **Nothing personal against you, Lucy, but I do this for the good of our pack!"** He growled angrily, waiting for the right moment when David had his back turned to strike.

She couldn't help herself, as David turned away from them in their hiding spot, heading further down the path, she had this sudden desire and instinct to protect David with all her might. It hit her like a Ryhorn's Fury Attack, and she was compelled to obey it. She squirmed violently, doing anything and everything to try and free herself, willing her body to find a way out of its bonds, prepared to throw herself in harm's way to protect him. But she couldn't, and in desperation and hope that he might hear her, she silently screamed in her head.

 **(DAVID!)**

That was when Scar jumped from the tall grass with fangs bared and claws ready toward the unsuspecting human.

(David's PoV)

"Lucy, are you trying to surprise me again?" He called out. "Come on we go through this every time I visit."

He knew she was probably just waiting to surprise him from the grass, but something in the back of his mind kept saying something was wrong. It was like an itch, something he couldn't describe but yet he knew was true. Something was wrong, as if he was in danger.

Thinking Lucy was probably further down the path, he turned away from the tall grass where she pounced him from last time and resumed his trek.

Suddenly, as if he were seeing things differently. He had a strange sensation, as if he were seeing himself, from a lower perspective, and from behind. In that same instant, he saw a Pokemon that was four feet tall, with black and red leather like fur, and white bone like protrusions on it, and looked like it was preparing to strike him. **(DAVID!)** A desperate voice called out in that same instance.

(Sophia's PoV)

" **Hmm, I wonder if David would like my fur if we got it trimmed in town."**

Sophia was admiring her fur in the mirror, wondering just how to spruce it up so she could make herself look better for David, when she had a sudden flash of fear and desperation in her mind. At the same time she thought she was seeing something that wasn't there. She saw a Pokemon that was four feet tall, with black and red leather like fur, and white bone like protrusions on it, and looked like it was preparing to attack her owner from behind. **(DAVID!)** A desperate voice called out in that same instance, one that sounded very familiar yet she hadn't heard in her life.

Just as suddenly as it appeared, the vision and sensation vanished, and she was once again looking at herself in the mirror.

" **David's in trouble… no he couldn't be!"** She whispered to herself fearfully before going to the door and trying to get it open. **"Open up you blasted door, I need to find David!"**

(David's PoV)

Just as the vision ended he heard rustling behind him, and out of sheer instinct, not knowing if that vision was true or not, ducked just in time to avoid being mauled by a Houndoom as it overshot its jump at him. He stood back up to see the Houndoom had a scar along its face, and was missing an eye, but this only made it look more intimidating as he recognized it as the Houndoom that was Lucy's leader.

This was her Pokemon Pack's leader, the same one that regarded all humans as evil and whom Lucy always protected him against.

"Uh… hello…" David said, taking a few tentative steps back to put some distance between him.

" **Don't even try to talk."** The Houndoom growled, turning to advance on him again. **"You won't live long enough to say anything."**

"Look I understand you don't like Humans but I mean no harm." David said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace.

" **Shut up human, as far as I'm concerned, you are all the same!"** The Houndoom roared. **"You are all the same, so you will all DIE the same!"**

As the Houndoom charged again, David avoided the attack yet again, but only narrowly by jumping left and out of the way. But he couldn't dodge this Houndoom forever, he was only a human, and the Houndoom was experienced at battling. "If this is about intruding on your territory I'm sorry!" David said, trying to convince his attacker to leave him alone. "I'll leave and never come back I swear!"

The Houndoom however was unconcerned with his pleas, and charged at him again with fangs bared. Just as he charged, David had yet another vision, and it was just as quick as the previous one, but in that one vision, he suddenly found himself remembering details of a Houndoom's strengths and weaknesses.

" _A Houndoom's hide is thick as leather, and the bones that grow out of its head and along its back are thick and strong like steel. Aim for the joints, near the legs where the skin is softest as anywhere else will simply result in you hurting yourself. Avoid the mouth and avoid the fire it breathes because not only will its flames burn but it's also toxic to any creature that breathes in the smoke unprotected."_

" _You may be a fighting and steel pal, but if you're not careful, this Flare Grunt will be the end of you!"_

" _ **Don't worry about me David, I can handle anything he throws at us!"**_

Just as suddenly it began the strange vision ended, and he was watching the Houndoom charge him. Not knowing why he was remembering everything that he now knew, but still knowing that if he didn't do something he was going to die, he put it to good use. Out of instinct he kicked upward at the Houndoom, right where he knew was its only weakness and his hope for living, the joints along the legs where the skin was softer.

It worked, instantly the Houndoom reacted in pain as its leg was hit, and overshot David yet again. But just as quickly it was back up and charging him again. Once more David took aim and hit another leg, this time with his fist, and his attack connected with its target, hitting the Houndoom's front leg.

Now his opponent was getting angry, and David only had a moment to dodge before it released a flamethrower at him. "Don't breath in the smoke!" David said to himself.

As the flamethrower whipped past him it hit one of the trees and burned off a large branch. Thinking quickly he picked up the branch and held it in his hands, knowing he'd only get one chance to end this fight, hopefully with him still alive.

(Lucy's PoV)

Lucy watched in amazement as her human, the writer from Lumiose and someone who barely had a violent bone in his body, fought one on one with her pack's leader. So amazed were not only her, but also Nera and Yara, as their powers stopped gagging Lucy because of how astonished they were at what they were seeing.

" **He's actually winning?"** Yara said in amazement.

" **I thought you said he was harmless!"** Nera said.

" **He is…"** Lucy whispered. **"He's never fought anyone before, sure he's studied Pokemon in his human school he said. But he's never done anything like this."**

They all watched as David now picked up a branch and held it in both hands, waiting for Scar to charge again. Sure enough, Scar met the challenge and rushed at the human, fangs bared and flames tickling at his teeth.

(David's PoV)

As the Houndoom charged, David timed the distance, and at the last second shoved one end of the branch into the ground behind him and angled the other so it hit the Houndoom's mouth. It worked, and before it could realize what was going on, David put all his strength into picking up and tossing the Dark Pokemon up and behind him.

His opponent landed heavily behind him, disoriented and weary, got back up and growled in both pain and fury. **"Lucky… shot…"** He growled. **"But this ends now…"**

David watched as it charged up yet another move and ran for him once more, using the move Fire Fang that David recognized from watching it on TV. He only had one chance to survive now, and he took the branch and threw his whole weight into swinging it, and slamming the Houndoom in the side of his face.

Caught completely off guard, the Dark Pokemon couldn't react fast enough and took the full hit to the side of his face. He was flung to the side and smacked heavily into a tree, leaving a large dent in the trunk where his horns hit it.

David, extremely tired dropped the branch and backed away from the Pokemon, rubbing his shoulders as they and his arms were sore from the strain. He wasn't used to this much effort, and the only real heavy lifting he'd done was his bed when it came to changing the sheets or logs for the fireplace.

Gasping for breath he leaned against another tree, trying to recover his strength and hoping now the Pack Leader would leave him alone, or at the very least spare his life.

" **Nera, Yara!"** The Houndoom roared. **"Kill him!"**

The grass near them rustled a little and two small cat like Pokemon that stood two feet tall slowly walked out. One had mostly dark blue fur with white accentuations along its body while the other was white with dark blue accentuations. The blue one's eyes were green and had dark green pupils while the other had yellow with red pupils. He recognized them as Meowstic, a Pokemon that had a difference appearance based on gender.

Behind them was a bound Lucy, restrained by tree branches that were held by psychic energies that the male and female were emanating from their ears.

"Lucy!"David said, wondering if she was alright, but his concern changed as the Houndoom roared again at the two Pokemon.

" **Well what are you standing there for, kill him already!"** He roared tiredly.

The two Pokemon stared at each other, than to the Houndoom and finally to David, as if unsure about what to do. After a moment's hesitation they looked at each other and nodded in unison, before running over and standing in front of David, facing the Houndoom. **"No!"** The male Meowstic declared.

" **What, what are you doing?"** The Houndoom gasped angrily. **"Do what I say. Kill that human now!"**

The female Meowstic spoke up this time, and very defiantly. **"No, we no longer acknowledge you as our leader of the Pack!"** She said. **"According to the rules and customs of our pack, we have witnessed your trial in single combat, and have witnessed your defeat."**

" **What… you can't be…"**

" **As per the traditions of our pack…"** The male said, turning to David and bowing to him. **"We acknowledge you as our new Pack Leader. As an advisor to the previous Pack Leader, I am at your command."**

The female Meowstic, upon hearing this turned and bowed as well. **"As advisor to the previous Pack Leader, I too acknowledge you as my Pack Leader. I also await your commands."**

"What…" David asked in confusion. "Pack Leader, what do you…"

" **NO!"** The Houndoom roared angrily, wearily and shakily standing up and glaring at him. **"I will not accept this Human into the pack, he will destroy us and you. Do not allow him to become leader! Kill him while he is weak!"**

Both Meowstic stood up and turned to face him, and staring at him with determination. **"By tradition he is our new Leader, he has defeated you honorably in combat."** The male said. **"This is no longer your decision Scar, but his. Only this human David may decide if he wishes to accept the position."**

"Can one of you please explain to me what is going on, and please let Lucy go?" David asked, thoroughly exhausted at his day.

Instantly the two Pokemon stopped restraining Lucy and undid her bonds at his request. She shook off the branches and ran to him, nuzzling him in fear and affection. **"Oh David your safe, thank Arceus your safe!"** She said.

"Yes, but please what is going on here." He said. "Me, Pack Leader, what is all this about?"

At that, Lucy stopped nuzzling him and stood back, thoroughly embarrassed but still regarding him with a greater respect than before. **"Well, you see Scar, the Houndoom, is the previous leader of my pack. He came here with the intent to kill you because… well… he doesn't like humans and he didn't like me for liking you, or for being so friendly with you."**

" **This is true new leader, he came here to kill you, and was going to force Lucy to watch as he killed you for daring to threaten our Pack and Den's existence by allowing you to travel so close to it."** The female Meowstic said. **"Now the decision is yours, as Leader you may decide now if you wish to keep the position, or return power to Scar."**

At this, David looked up at the Houndoom, and he saw something that scared him. "If I were to let Scar be leader again, what will he do?"

" **He'll order the twins to kill you… and then… he'll rape me."** Lucy said nervously. **"He was going to rape me after he killed you, because I wouldn't mate with him."**

At this he became angry, but not as angry as Scar looked. "If I promised not to return and took Lucy with me, would he still carry out what he was going to do?"

The two Meowstics nodded, still not taking their eyes off Scar. **"Yes, he will, so please new leader, I ask you to make your decision quickly."** The female said. **"If you accept and choose to claim the position yourself, we will protect you and take you back to the den so as to assume your place in the pack."**

"Doesn't seem like I have a choice do I?" He asked Lucy, who only shook her head in fear. "If I don't take this role he'll try and kill me and hurt Lucy."

He looked down at the ground, before taking a deep, steadying breath to calm himself. Then he nodded and looked at Scar the Houndoom. "I'll accept the role of Pack Leader."

The two Meowstic nodded and lifted their ears to point them at Scar. **"Then what are your orders concerning the previous leader."** The male said. **"What will you have us do with him? Shall we kill him so he can no longer threaten you?"**

"No!"David said. "I don't care what he would have done to me or any Pokemon, nobody deserves to be killed. Let him live."

At his declaration, both Meowstics nodded and returned to their previous positions. **"As you command Leader."** They said. **"Though may we perform something to ensure that he does not attempt to harm you as we travel to the den?"**

"Go ahead, just don't kill him." David said, watching the Houndoom glare in anger and rage. Both Meowstic nodded and in one motion, cast Hypnosis on Scar, causing the Houndoom to fall asleep. "I always thought psychic moves didn't work on dark type Pokemon."

" **We are strong enough together that we can use some psychic moves on dark types."** The male one said. **"Before we go anywhere new leader, we must first introduce ourselves to you. I am called Yara, and this is my twin sister Nera."**

The female one nodded in respect. **"We were Scar's personal advisors and bodyguards, with your permission new leader, may we assume the same roles under you?"**

"Yes, but can I ask one thing please?" He said, and both Yara and Nera nodded. "I know I said I'd accept the roll of Pack Leader, but what if I don't want to. I said that to protect Lucy, but what would happen if I didn't want to become this leader."

At this the two Meowstics looked thoroughly surprised. **"You have to, if you don't we'll have no choice but to return and tell the pack."** Yara said.

" **If we tell the pack that their new leader has abandoned us, there will be chaos, a power struggle."** Nera said. **"Dozens, maybe more will die as someone tries to take over the role of Pack Leader. Scar might regain his power, and he'll be after you if he does! The gap in power would be disastrous if you don't."**

At this he turned to Lucy, who nodded in agreement. **"They are right, if you don't take the position, another Pokemon in the pack will eventually take it. Besides Scar might take it as well, and he won't hesitate to go after you. You'd have to travel over mountains to get away."** She said with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. **"Please David, will you keep the role of Pack Leader? I know some Pokemon in the pack will not like you at first, but when they hear what you did they will listen to you."**

David sighed as he looked over at Scar, the now sleeping previous Pack Leader, and pictured Scar doing horrible things to other humans who may be unlucky enough to walk down this path. He really didn't like the idea of becoming some kind of leader to a group of Pokemon, of giving orders and telling them what to do.

But he knew that if he were to avoid this, the Pokemon of the pack would fight each other, and more harm would be done by him refusing this position, than by him accepting. So with that in mind, he turned to Yara and Nera, and nodded, saying he would take the position of Pack Leader.

They both sighed in relief. **"Then we must be off, if you'll follow us Leader, we will take you to the den so that we can introduce you to the rest of the Pack. Then we must begin making preparations for you to meet the council of elders, you must choose advisors and decide duty rosters and gather all the female Pokemon so that you may pick your Prime Mate and…"** Yara started saying before David interrupted.

"Whoa whoa what?" He stammered. "What's this about Prime Mate and councils and advisors and… everything?"

" **Uh, Nera, Yara, perhaps we should take it slow and… explain everything one step at a time?"** Lucy said quickly. **"He's a human so… our ways are different than his. We need to give him a chance to adjust and… get used to it and understand everything."**

Nera and Yara nodded in understanding before bowing apologetically. **"Forgive us Leader, we didn't mean to rush into things. It's just that we're used to preparing our leader's quite quickly to assume their roles."** Yara said. **"In any case, we must still head to the den, please follow us."**

"Wait, what about my friend Sophia, I can't just leave her!" He said. "She's expecting me back soon, I need to tell her everything that's happened."

" **If you wish, I can go and collect your Sophia and bring her to the den so she may live with you."** Nera said politely. **"I will also explain what is happening and bring some personal affects that may or may not be important to you and her. I can't say I'll bring all of your belongings, but a few things are the least I can bring."**

David nodded, and hoped that Sophia wouldn't kill him or go crazy. "Alright, but be careful, she might get mad or think your trying to steal something." He said.

" **I will take your advice to heart Leader, I know where your home is because it is within our territory, and Scar always made sure to keep track of it."** Nera said before she turned to leave. **"I will meet you at the den."**

" **Please follow me now Leader."** Yara said, glancing slightly at Scar before getting on all fours and walking away. **"I will also inform someone to fetch Scar and bring him back, after we have introduced you to the Pack."**

So David and Lucy followed Yara as he walked briskly away from the scene, David, now their new leader. But as they walked, David failed to notice Lucy eyeing him every few seconds, a deep blush on her cheeks.

=David's Cabin, hours later=

(Nera's PoV)

 _ ***Hmm, so that's where the new Leader lives, his den***_ She thought to herself. _***So now I just have to find this Sophia and explain everything to her.***_

It took Nera a while to find the house, despite knowing where it was with Scar's reports, having never actually been here on a patrol. But eventually she found the crude, manmade structure that easily put her pack's den to shame. Yet it was tiny and built of trees when compared to the others that she knew of.

" **Well, the leader requested I bring this Furfrou to him, so I will do just that!"** She said to herself, wanting to make a good impression on her new Pack Leader.

She walked up to the front door and used her psychic powers to pick up a rock and knock on the front door.

" **David, is that you?"** An elegant but worried voice shouted. **"Oh thank goodness it's you, I was so worried something bad had happened!"**

" **Um, hello, my name is Nera of Pack David."** Nera said, formerly introducing herself to the Pokemon she expected to open the door.

Unfortunately the door didn't open, and all she heard was said Pokemon inside speak up again.

" **Pack David, what in Lumiose Prism Tower are you talking about."** It shouted. **"Hold on one second are you one of those Wild Pokemon?"**

" **Uh… yes?"** Nera said, now thoroughly confused. **"Does that mean anything?"**

" **Hold on one second I need to get this dang door open!"** The voice inside said, and she heard several scratches and things shifting around inside. **"Blasted door, gah. Stupid lock, will you just shift to the unlock position already!"** More scrabbling and now something breaking sounded inside. **"Oh not my food bowl, I liked that bowl!"**

Finally after a few minutes the door clicked and slowly opened inward, revealing a quite cozy living space inside and a very edgy Furfrou in the midst of it. **"Don't step inside here, my human doesn't want wild Pokemon in the cabin without his knowledge!"**

Nera nodded and decided to explain why she was here. **"I'm here at the request of my Pack Leader to bring you to the den as well as explain…"** She started explaining, but was interrupted.

" **Wait what the blazes are you talking about, your Pack Leader wants me?"** She said with a growl. **"I don't give a care if Arceus himself demanded me, I am not budging from this house without my owner!"**

Nera sighed in frustration, hating how tamed Pokemon always acted so dependently. **"My Pack Leader is your owner Ms. Sophia."** She said at last. **"His name is David, correct?"**

At this the Furfrou stopped growling and now looked at her with a suspicious eye. **"You know my owner?"**

" **Yes, he has a black hair and is supposedly a writer?"** Nera asked.

Sophia nodded and backed up to let her in. **"Alright let's here the story, what did my owner get himself into this time…"**

Twenty minutes later, Nera explained everything to Sophia, about Lucy the Absol who had a deep crush on him. Scar the previous leader and his attempt to kill David, how her owner defeated him and inherited the position of Leader. How even now he was heading to their den to speak with the rest of the Pack, and how he asked her to collect Sophia so she could live with him.

All the while the Furfrou absorbed the information, silent and open mouthed at everything that took place. With her explanation given, the Furfrou simply sat with wide eyes. **"Merde… just… merde…"** She whispered. **"David what foolishness have you gotten yourself into… Leader of a Pokemon Pack?"**

" **If it makes you feel any better, he did it out of responsibility."** Nera said. **"If he didn't more harm would have happened. He did it to save the Pack from internal strife."**

Sophia nodded in understanding. **"Of course he would, he'd do anything to help a Pokemon or person in need. I remember he helped this one bully whose leg I bit and walked him to the infirmary. It didn't matter if they were mean to him he always helped them if they were in need. So now what, I just follow you to this den and live with him in the wild?"**

Nera nodded. **"If you wish you can bring a few things to make your life with him more comfortable. We can't bring everything but enough to make it more bearable to you both."**

Sophia nodded and ran over to the bed before pulling out a rather large suitcase with her mouth. **"In that case I'll start packing!"** She said and started running around gathering certain things. **"My fluffy bed because Arceus forbid I refuse to sleep on the dirt. Soap bars and blanket, toilet paper, proper hygiene is a must! My hairbrush, squeaky toy, pillow, and a change of clothes for David… ugh, I hate picking up his undergarments with my mouth, clean or not..."**

Nera just shook her head in disbelief as she watched the Furfrou running around grabbing things and stuffing them into that large suitcase. _***Tamed Pokemon, why do they have to make things so dang complicated…***_ She thought to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

_*I often imagined as I watched over you…*_

 _*Just what would happen if you didn't save me…*_

 _*What would have happened to me?*_

=Chapter 3, The new Pack Leader=

(David's PoV)

" **A human can't be our leader!"** A Mightyena shouted from the crowd.

" **He defeated Scar, he has the right!"** A Luxray shouted back.

" **Who's to say he cheated for the right!"** A Growlithe demanded.

" **If the Twins say it's true, I say give him a chance!"** Another Mightyena barked.

David listened to the dozens upon dozens of voices through his translator, all arguing either for or against him being the new Pack Leader in the underground meeting hall.

Half an hour ago Yara had led him and Lucy to the Pack's den, a small hidden cave that went down and into a vast series of underground caverns, tunnels, and even a small lake. All of this seemed to stretch for over four miles, with lots of side tunnels and caves dug out and excavated to create smaller dens for individual Pokemon or their families. In total it did seem to fit roughly over two hundred Pokemon, and right now a vast majority of them were all either arguing or simply staying quiet while the Pokemon who did argue argued.

While they walked to the den, Yara explained the intricacies of the Pack's leadership role and what he was expected to do. The first thing they had to do was introduce him to the Pack, and establish himself as the new Leader. He told him to remain silent until he spoke to and explained everything to the Pack as a whole. After he established the legitimate claim and backed up the claim with witnesses, the Pack would have to accept him as their Leader.

Once he was acknowledged, he would make his declaration, and the following day he would begin his duties and responsibilities.

Of course first he had to get the whole Pack to acknowledge him as their leader, as despite Yara's insistence that the pack would not dare threaten him, he was in the Pyroar's den when it came to dangerous situations. If he angered them, he was toast. Yara also advised him to show equal measures of care and dominance, as the Pack was diverse, consisting of many species of Pokemon that were equally friendly and violent. Only by showing equal measures of fierce dominance and compassion would he truly gain the loyalty of the pack.

After Yara gathered the whole pack, which took a while considering his sister wasn't there to help him, he set about explaining why a Human was in their midst, despite Scars constant warnings. Which was now why so many Pokemon argued and watched the arguments which were raging and debating. Some didn't like the idea of a Human leading a pack of Pokemon, while others wanted to give him a chance, and others didn't know who to side with.

" **At least they aren't attacking you."** Yara whispered to him politely.

"But will they accept me?" He asked back.

" **Either way Leader, you must now speak to them."** Yara said, taking a seat and waiting patiently for David to stand up.

He sighed and wished he didn't have to, but Yara was right, the Pack wouldn't listen to him until he spoke to them. He cleared his voice and as if that was the cue it took, everyone became silent as they waited for him to talk now. All eyes staring at him intently.

"I know a lot of you have some reservations about having a Human like me become your Pack Leader." He said as calmly and sternly as he could. "Let me just say that, when I chose to take this role, it was not because I wanted to become your leader. It was to prevent civil strife from occurring, I was informed that if I did not take this role after defeating Scar, the previous Leader, there would be a power struggle for leadership among your pack. I chose to take this position out of necessity and responsibility for what I did."

He waited for someone to shout something, but when nobody did he continued with his speech. "Scar challenged me and tried to kill me simply because I was Human, and because he disapproved of my friendship with a Pokemon among you. He feared that I would destroy you, betray you, and otherwise prove everything he says about humans true. Let me just say that none of that will happen. I have always had deep respect for your pack and your territory since I lived in the area, and have respected your boundaries and rules to the best I can."

"I never asked or wanted to become your leader, but because I had to protect not only my own life, but also the safety of my Pokemon friend who lives among you. If Scar had succeeded in killing me, he would have raped a member of your pack, an Absol by the name of Lucy."

At this those who were closest to Lucy turned to look at her, some with looks of sympathy and others looking between her and him, as if connecting something.

"If the only way to protect not only my life but also a good friend of mine is to become you're Pack Leader, then so be it, I'll take up that role. If Scar takes back his position he'll no doubt kill me for revenge and carry out what he would have done to Lucy. But if any of you can do a better job and keep Scar from hurting me and Lucy, then I ask one of you to speak up now!" With his speech finished he looked around and waited for any of the Pokemon gathered to speak up and take his position.

In all honesty, he was hoping someone would take it, but when none of the Pokemon spoke up, he sighed in acceptance of his fate. "Then as your new Leader, I promise that one of my main priorities will be each and every one of you." He said, looking at the whole pack gathered in front of him. "I promise that your safety and care will be one of my chief priorities. I want you all to trust me as your Leader, whether that be protecting you against other Pokemon or even people, I will do my best to protect you all. To me, you are just as important if not more, than I am to myself. I know that Scar did his best to protect you all from humans, and even though I don't approve of his methods, I too will do my absolute best to protect you all from humans as well."

Knowing that kindness and sympathetic words would only get him so far, he had to show an image of dominance in front of them all, or else he would never get true respect from them. "But I warn you all now, especially those who feel similar thoughts about humans as Scar did!" He fiercely shouted, staring intently at all of them as though Scar were among them as well. "If any of you think to harm a human, even myself, simply because they are human and you fear they may hurt you. I will not tolerate any such actions! I do not seek to harm you because you are Pokemon and because you may harm me, so do not treat me or the rest of my kind the same way. If you want to attack me because I'm human, know that it was I who defeated Scar, with no help from any Pokemon or human, and I will do whatever I must to protect my own life because just as you value your life, so to do I!"

Then he changed his look from fierce to gentle. "But if the time should arise, where if your life and mine are in jeopardy, know that I will not hesitate to sacrifice myself to save yours." He said calmly. "If that's the price I must pay to save your lives, then know that I will gladly pay it without hesitation, so don't be afraid to flee to save yourself. I would have ordered you to leave me behind if that's the case. I am your Pack Leader, but I am not your tyrannical ruler, I view a leader as a father figure, with the pack being his children. Any father would sacrifice their life to save their child, and that's how I will be with you."

His final speech finished he sat back down and let Yara speak up now. **"Our Leader has many duties to begin and other obligations to carry out."** He declared. **"This meeting is adjourned, will the retrieval group please go and bring Scar back to the den, but place him in an empty alcove. Also as per our new Leader's appearance, he is not to be allowed anywhere near him, or any he might threaten alone. Until later, you are all dismissed!"**

At that the room began emptying as Pokemon went their separate ways, some eyeing their new Leader, others talking animatedly with one another. Once everyone was gone, David breathed a sigh of relief. "That was so difficult." He complained.

" **Please follow me Leader, we must now meet with the Elders."** Yara said.

Nodding, David followed Yara as he got on all fours and walked toward one of the cavern's exits, and walked down a side tunnel, joined by Lucy who remained behind after the meeting. While they walked Yara explained the purpose of the Council of Elders. **"The Elders are as their name suggests, elderly Pokemon that are too old for normal duties, and have lived in the pack for the longest. Their job is to listen to the requests and complaints of the pack members, and bring those complaints to you. If any of them would like a law to be implemented by you, they must discuss it among themselves before bringing it to you. By default, you can implement whatever laws you wish, but I would advise you to listen to the elders' suggestions before doing so. After any discussions, you may seek out your advisors to discuss the issues and determine your course of action."**

"I see, so do the Elders have any real power or are they just figure heads?" He asked curiously.

" **They hold no real power, only the Pack Leader and his Prime Mate do. However the Elders are held in very high regard, for they are often the wisest and smartest of the entire pack. At present there are five elders, but in previous generations of leaders there were up to nine or ten at a time. To become an Elder you must seek out the Leader's permission, after requesting it of the other Elders of course."**

"Alright, so other than listening to the rest of the pack, and bringing up issues and ideas for new laws to me, what do the elders do?" He asked, wanting to know everything he could as soon as possible.

" **Well nothing else really."** Yara said as they turned down another side tunnel. **"They are too old to battle effectively, and because of this they can't perform duties that younger members can do. That's why to become an Elder is so difficult, not only do you have to be old but you must be considered wise and very experienced."**

" **Bunch of windbags if you ask me David."** Lucy chuckled behind him.

" **I would hope our Leader gives the Elders the respect they are due!"** Yara growled ahead of them. **"In any case, ahead of us is the Elder's chamber, where they meet and await you Leader."**

Ahead was a small cave entrance and upon walking through it, entered a small cave where five elderly Pokemon were sitting and waiting for him. The first one was a male Mightyena, whose black and grey fur had turned grey with streaks of white in it. The second was a female Ninetales, whose peach colored fur also had streaks of white in it. The third Elder was a female Furfrou, just like Sophia, but her fur was not as fluffy and she had multiple wrinkles on her face and around her eyes. A male Umbreon was the fourth elder, and where he once had golden rings around various parts of his body, he now had blotches of silver with the gold. Finally, the fifth elder was a female Espeon, who had retained her pink fur but unlike her fellow elders, her eyes had white pupils and irises, indicating that she was blind.

" **Greetings Elders, I am Yara, advisor and bodyguard to former Leader Scar, now advisor and bodyguard to new Leader David."** Yara said respectfully. **"I bring you our new Leader, David, as per tradition to meet you."**

" **Greetings to our new Pack Leader."** The Mightyena barked. **"I am Kuma, and these are my fellow Elders…"**

" **Nayru…"** The Ninetales said calmly.

" **Jen…"** The Furfrou barked.

" **Yin…"** The Umbreon said.

" **And I am Isis."** The Espeon whispered. **"We are the council of Elders, and we have requested this meeting with you so we may familiarize ourselves with you and you us. We do not often lose our previous leaders, and Scar was Leader for many a season."**

"How did you know about me becoming Leader, Yara and I barely arrived here an hour ago." He asked respectfully, taking a seat in front of them all.

" **Isis is an Espeon of great Psychic powers, more particularly her gift of future sight."** Yin said. **"Though she may be blind to the world in front of her eyes, she can see into the future to witness certain events. Last night, she called us together to speak to us of Scar's downfall today, and that our new Leader would be a human."**

"You mean you can see the future?" He asked curiously.

" **The future, no, but events that are destined to happen, yes."** Isis said as her tail swished from side to side. **"I cannot see the future as you might believe, but I can witness events as they are destined to occur. These visions do not come easily, and often with many years in between. Yet when I see them, it is my duty to inform all of what will happen."**

"So why didn't you warn Scar not to battle me?" He asked.

" **Isis knew that Scar would lose if and when he challenged you, and we knew that we would have a Human Leader for our pack."** Nayru said. **"She declared that it is fate's will that Scar be replaced, for in her vision, she saw something that we have not had for many a generation."**

At this all of them turned to Isis, who nodded and cleared her throat. **"In my vision of you David, you were wrapped in this strange veil, a veil that enshrouded you with this beautiful glow, the likes of which I have never seen even when I could."** She said. **"It was as if you gave off this aura, an aura of several vibrant colors, whose touch seemed to breathe life into all who looked upon it. When I saw you, as Scar lunged to attack, I saw something that made me fear for your life. You and Scar were as different as night is to day, which is what I saw, though what it is I saw that you have that our many leaders past did not, is something I do not fully understand."**

She turned to look at Lucy who stood off to the side, out of respect and because she shouldn't even be in the chamber with them. **"Even now, I can still see that wonderful aura wrapped around you human. It glows brightest with you, but I can see it on others as well using my psychic powers. The lovely Absol behind you, and a Lapras that swims in the water chamber also give off this aura."**

David looked at Lucy to see what she was talking about, but other than that mark in her left eye, she looked just like any other Absol he's read about.

" **Nevertheless, what Isis sees is not why we have called you here Leader."** Kuma barked, drawing David's attention back. **"As elders, our job is to listen and bring forth all the issues and problems our pack face. We will also discuss with you, certain laws that we may feel would be worth implementing for the pack."**

Yin nodded in agreement. **"Yes, we hope you will be more listening to our requests and suggestions than the previous leader, Scar, was."** He said. **"Often he ignored our words and implemented his own laws that he felt were more important for the pack's protection. He did indeed protect us well against humans and other threats, but we felt his methods were not always in the best interests of the pack."**

" **It is our hope that you will put the wants and needs of the pack, as well as their lively hood above other priorities, outside of safety."** Nayru said. **"Your word is law here, and we hope that you will keep those priorities in mind when you decree any laws.**

"I assure you elders, I will listen to anything you have to say to me, and I promise you that the pack's safety and care are my largest priorities." He said.

Nayru and Jen both smiled at his words, and Kuma and Yin nodded in acceptance. **"In that case Leader, we may move on to the important issue that must be settled soon."** Jen said politely. **"Tell us, now that you have seen the pack as a whole, do you wish to begin searching for your Prime Mate?"**

"My Prime Mate?" David asked.

" **Yes Leader, your Prime Mate."** Jen said with a small frown. **"Is there something wrong, do you not want a Prime Mate?"**

"What is a 'Prime Mate', that's what I'm asking."

At this all of the Elders' eyes went wide with surprise. **"Do you honestly not know?"** Jen asked, shock evident in her voice. **"Why haven't you informed him yet Yara, as advisor to the Leader it is your responsibility to inform him of this decision?"**

Yara looked embarrassed as his eyes bent closer to his face. **"I didn't have enough time elders, we barely covered the details concerning introducing himself to the pack before we met with them."**

Jen sighed in frustration as she and Nayru nodded to each other. **"Very well I will explain."** Nayru said. **"As Pack Leader, your first duty before all others, upon being made Leader is to pick your Prime Mate. Once you have chosen, you will inform the pack as a whole of your decision, then you will retire to your private chambers, where you and your Prime Mate will mate until your scents mark each other, thus ensuring no male attempts to mate with her."**

"You mean, I have to get married to one of the pack's females?" He said in surprise. "And have sex with them?"

At this Yin raised an eyebrow. **"Yes leader, you see the Prime Mate has many duties that are important for our pack."** He said. **"One of those is breeding, she is to bear your young if and when you choose to have them. The belief in this system was that a strong leader would produce stronger young, but alas we have never had such leaders for long. Often they would die without producing an offspring, or would be replaced and their young never taking the leadership role."**

" **The other roles the Prime Mate has, is acting as another guard to you, as one of her duties is to protect you."** Nayru continued. **"Also, the Prime Mate caries out duties and instructs the pack in various means and ensures the Leader's wishes are carried out. In a sense, she is the second most powerful in the pack's chain of command. If the leader is ever away, she will be in charge, and can make laws as the leader can, at least until he returns."**

" **Another thing the Prime Mate does, is to be the main female mating with the Leader, but the Leader can choose to mate with any female he wishes to or takes a fancy to. She also ensures that his bloodline stays with her, and prevents females from bearing his offspring if he doesn't wish them to."**

"So let me get this straight, as your Leader, not only am I the final say in any decision or law, but I can also have any female in the pack that I want?" He said. "If say I were to choose a Mightyena female as my Prime Mate, I can also mate with any number of females and not suffer any consequences? That's essentially what you're telling me right?"

" **Precisely."** Isis said with a giggle. **"I also knew that you would be so hesitant about such things. Rest assured my leader, think not that you would be betraying your Prime Mate by mating with another female, or even dozens of females. You see, to mate with the Leader is considered the highest honor and wish for any female in our pack."**

" **Also, as you know, we females can go into heat, meaning we are ready to mate and reproduce."** Nayru said. **"Some females will seek you out to help them, or even will ask to mate with you. These are females who have not settled down or do not wish to mate with a male they do not either like, or wish to reproduce with. It will be your responsibility to assist them in whatever manner you choose or deem necessary."**

David simply chose not to respond, and at his hesitation to respond, Kuma spoke up. **"I understand that you will be hesitant about taking a Prime Mate so suddenly, before even having the chance to know if you love this individual. But you must pick a Prime Mate before nightfall, it is one of your duties, and your Prime Mate must be chosen so she may commence her duties as well."**

Jen yawned loudly. **"In any case Leader, please decide soon, as it is almost time for our pack to retire and the night watch to begin."** She said. **"I suggest you pick from the females that you know of, or perhaps just take whatever female takes your fancy. Rest assured, any female will be more than enthusiastic to become your Prime Mate."** She got up along with her fellow elders. **"Good night Leader, we will see you tomorrow."**

All of the elders left, and at the request of Isis, Yara left to await David outside. Isis however remained behind momentarily to speak with him. **"If I may be so bold to speak Leader."** She said with a grin. **"If you are so hesitant to find a mate among the pack, why don't you look to that Absol who has stayed with you all this time?"** Before leaving the chamber with David and Lucy still there.

(Lucy's PoV)

Lucy watched David from the wall, and waited until the elders and Yara were well and gone, before she approached him and nuzzled his side gently. She knew everything that just happened was so sudden, so life changing, that he was no doubt troubled right now. **"I'm sorry about all of this David."** She whispered quietly. **"Being made leader, having to pick a mate, and everything else."**

David ignored her nuzzles and simply sat there. "Why did all of this have to happen to me?" He asked her quietly. "Earlier today I was happy with just writing song lyrics and living in a cabin with Sophia my Furfrou companion. Now I'm the leader of a pack, I'm supposed to get married, expected to have kids with her, make laws and decisions for hundreds of Pokemon and take care of their lives. Why did all of this have to happen?"

Lucy could hear the sadness in his voice, she knew that this was all way too much for him. She wanted to help him, to show him that he wasn't alone and that there were others who would help him. **"David… look at me."** She said sternly, staring into his left eye that had the X mark in it. **"I don't know why you were chosen to lead our Pack, or indeed why anything happens in this world. But I do know this, I know you will be a great leader."**

"How do you know, what if I screw up, what if I mess up!" He said, but was silenced as Lucy shoved her face forward and kissed him full on the mouth.

Lucy could feel her love for him, somehow she knew it was love, and the moment she shoved her lips against his, she felt something in the back of her mind. As if a door had opened, and she could feel something telling her on the other side what it knew. She could feel him resist at first, but not because he didn't like it, but because it was so sudden.

She continued to press him into the kiss, and pushed harder so that he way forced onto his back and kept the pressure on him. She kept her eyes closed as well so that he wouldn't see how much love she had for him, at least not until he stopped resisting.

So when he finally stopped, she leaned away and looked at him with a small smile, a deep and very evident blush on her face, and a twinkle in her eyes that showed her affection. **"Because you won't screw anything up, not if you'll take me as your Prime Mate."** She said softly. **"David, I know I told you that Scar was going to rape be because I was with you constantly, and because I was close to you. But the truth is the real reason I wouldn't mate with him, was because I loved you."**

"Lucy?"He said in shock. "You… love me? But how, you… we only knew each other for a year, and even then… we barely know each other outside of those short visits!"

" **I don't understand it either David, but I've loved you ever since I first met you!"** She said calmly. **"Even before I joined this pack, I knew somewhere my true love was out there. That it wasn't one of those Absols or any other Pokemon species, that it was a Human I loved and was determined to find. When I found you, I just knew it was you, and that's why I stayed here to keep you safe. I knew Scar disliked you, and so I pretended to be watching you to protect our pack, but it was so that I could keep you safe."**

She took one of her clawed paws and placed it on David's cheek, feeling how soft his skin was compared to her fur. **"I love you David, I don't know why but it's like fate for me, like destiny is telling me that I was to find you, to protect you. So if you're afraid of failing our pack because you aren't capable… then take me. Make me your Prime Mate, I know this Pack inside and out, I know how everything is done, and other than your Furfrou, you know me well enough to trust and like me."**

" **I've not had a mate ever, I've kept my purity for you, and even before I knew you I knew I wanted to keep it for you. It's been hard resisting my heat year after year, but I won't give it to another male. Only to you, so please David, make me your Prime Mate? I promise you, I won't ever be jealous if you decide to mate with another, I won't hold you back from duties, and I'll do all I can to help you lead our Pack."**

(David's PoV)

He stared into the eyes of his Absol friend, whom he always regarded as a friend, but now had to regard her as something more. She was laying on top of him, touching him tenderly and basically screaming that she had kept her virginity strictly for him and solely him. Not only that, but pouring her soul out and saying she loved him.

He felt deeply touched, that any Pokemon would wait so long on simply feelings. Out of instinct he reached up and touched the left side of her face where her fur fell and was her favorite spot to be scratched. "Are you sure about this Lucy?" He asked, wanting to be one hundred percent sure about this decision. "Once we go and tell the pack, there's no going back, and we'll be stuck together for life."

Lucy smiled at this. **"Absols live for about a hundred years."** She said slyly. **"A hundred years with a handsome human like you, raising a family and being called your Prime Mate? I think I could safely call a life like that, paradise."**

Getting into the joke and spirit, knowing that what she spoke was true, he grinned and tickled her fur a little. "You mean I get to have sex with this beautifully gorgeous Pokemon for that long, no wonder Scar was jealous of me." He said.

At that Lucy grinned even harder. **"Well 'Leader', since we've got to go and tell the Pack before we go to bed, how about we get that out of the way."** She said, getting off of him and allowing him to stand up, but not before giving him a prolonged view of her rear. **"Then we can… 'retire'… to our personal chamber, now that it's previous 'occupant' is no longer in charge."**

"I think I can get behind that." He said with a smile, walking in front of Lucy so that they could speak to Yara, who had waited patiently for them to leave outside the entire time.

=Meanwhile=

(Nera's PoV)

" **So how much longer do we have to walk?"** Sophia barked as she slowly followed behind Nera.

Nera sighed in frustration at the 'tamed poodle' before turning to stare at her angrily. **"We would have been there by now if you didn't insist on bringing that suitcase."** She said, referring to the object that the Furfrou dragged behind her.

They had made a makeshift harness for the Furfrou to drag the suit case behind her, insisting that she take it because she didn't trust a 'wild' Pokemon to be gentle with its contents. This had significantly slowed them down because the Furfrou had to stop and rest every ten minutes.

Nera was on the verge of just leaving the tamed Pokemon to her fate without her precious master to tend to her.

" **Well excuse me, I'm not a wild Furfrou nor am I a trained Furfrou."** She barked back angrily. **"I'm a house pet Furfrou, not that he's ever treated me like one. I'm more like his companion, maybe even a roommate."**

Nera sighed as she continued walking. **"Do you ever stop talking?"** She asked bluntly.

" **How dare you, it's not my fault I'm being asked to go and live in the wild!"** Sophia growled. **"If you're pathetic former leader didn't have to be so uptight with his nickers in a bunch and go and attack my David, we wouldn't be in this predicament!"**

" **I'm starting to wish that did happen."** Nera complained, looking up to see the sky changing colors as the sun began to set. **"At this rate we'll be there by the time the night watch is about to take over."**

" **Good, gives me time to prepare my bed, lay out David's blankets, have him brush my hair, maybe even read me a bedtime story before we go to sleep!"** Sophia barked happily as she surprised Nera by taking the lead. **"Well what are you waiting for, hurry up!"**

" **Wait how would you know where to go, and where'd this sudden burst of energy come from?"** She asked in shock.

" **Simple, I smell David's scent, he walked down this trail a while ago with a pair of Pokemon."** Sophia barked. **"I recognize Lucy's scent and another I don't, probably your brother. In any case hurry up, I don't want to be late to see my Master before bed!"**

They continued walking for a few more minutes before, once again, they stopped because of Sophia. **"Why are we stopping now?"** Nera complained as the sudden burst of energy that moments ago pushed the Furfrou seemed to dissipate.

" **I chipped one of my nails…"** Sophia moaned sadly, holding up a paw to show one of her nails had indeed been chipped.

Nera shook her head in disbelief before resuming walking. _***Why did I offer to do this?***_ She asked herself as the Furfrou followed suit, dragging the suitcase with her.


	4. Chapter 4

_*Before I met you and them…*_

 _*The cycle was constant and unchanging…*_

 _*But all of you changed my perspective…*_

=Chapter 4, The Prime and Second Mates=

(David's PoV)

"So exactly how many levels are there to this place?" David asked Yara as he and Lucy were led down to one of the living levels.

The den was much larger than he had originally expected, not only did it have a chamber where food was stored, it also had three levels below the main meeting chamber, the Elder's chamber, the water reservoir, and the main entrance to the den. He was thoroughly impressed by how this pack had managed to create all of this without any help from humans. They had created small chambers for individual Pokemon, families of Pokemon, and of course the Leader. All of the living chambers were connected to the main meeting chamber via three tunnels which led further underground.

A while ago, Yara had summoned the pack together once again, and after everyone had assembled, David announced that he had chosen his Prime Mate. There were a few grumbles from some of the females, namely complaining that she had enticed him or planned everything. However the majority of the pack accepted his decision, and a few wished him and Lucy many pups in their lives.

After that declaration was made, Yara dismissed everyone and ordered the night watch to their duty, while he led David and Lucy to their new living chamber. While they walked, he explained how everything was made and layered. More specifically, he explained how the first leader of their pack had forged an agreement with some Onix and other burrowing Pokemon to create the vast system of caves and tunnels for them.

" **There are these three living levels that our pack excavated nearly two hundred seasons ago Leader."** Yara explained. **"During our pack's early generations, we spent many seasons excavating the chambers to the sizes they are now, and as our pack grew we excavated further levels to accommodate our size. Later generations went about improving the conditions and quality of life each of the living chambers held for those members of the pack."**

"Improving the quality of life?" He said. "What do you mean by that?"

" **Well Leader, our pack's previous leaders weren't too picky when it came to living conditions. Originally this den was merely designed to protect Pokemon of the pack from humans above and other more dangerous Pokemon. However as time went on, and this den became a more permanent living position for our pack, we realized we had to deal with certain issues that humans solved long ago."**

" **One of those problems was food storage, as we have a few Ice Types living here, they cool the food storage chamber every day to preserve berries that our foraging parties collect. Another, more immediate problem, was a sanitation problem."**

"Uh, by that you mean?"

" **He means when Pokemon go to the bathroom."** Lucy explained quickly.

" **Yes, you see before, we simply did our business above ground. However this quickly became unsanitary, as well as smelly. Disease quickly ran rampant through the pack, and the smell drove off potential pack members. A few members of the pack were Pokemon that we called 'tamed', meaning those raised and cared for by humans. They brought their knowledge of sanitation and helped us deal with this problem."**

" **You won't notice it, but the lowest we have been able to excavate is just near the underwater lake where the majority of our pack drink water from. Below is solid bedrock, only a Steelix was able to penetrate it, and so it did for us. We were able to create a makeshift sewage system which leads far out into the ocean. It's nothing like what you humans have created, but it serves the same purpose and allows us to get rid of any waste."**

"Impressive." David commented. "Humans have always argued that Pokemon were intelligent on various levels, but they never figured you could achieve something as complex as this."

" **On our own no, but in the past we've had help from outsiders."** Yara stated as they turned and walked down a brightly lit cavern. **"Despite what Scar says, there was a time when our pack accepted the help of humans. Of course those times were very few, but each time they helped us immensely. These lights were given to us by a human who excavated them for us in what he called the 'Reflection Cave', he gave them to us in exchange for us letting humans pass through what you call Route 6."**

"I thought Scar always said humans couldn't be trusted and told you not to trust us?" He asked.

" **That is true, but the story is old and only a few bother to pass it down. The elder Nayru remembers the story from her mother, and passes it on to those who would listen to it. This is why we respect them so, for they remember our past where others would choose to ignore or forget it."** At the end of the hall was a small entrance to a chamber, with an overhang of plant life covering the entrance and acting as a door. **"This is your chamber Leader, it used to be Scars but, as he is no longer Leader, they are yours now. My sister and I live close by so we may act as your protectors while you and your Prime Mate, as well as any other mates you take sleep. The pack will not disturb you here unless it is of vital importance."**

"Can we look inside?" He asked.

" **Of course you may, follow me."** Yara said, taking the lead again as he walked on two legs now. **"I believe my sister has finally returned with your Sophia."**

Sure enough, as he pushed the plant growth aside with his powers to allow David and Lucy through, he saw Nera awaiting them a few feet in front of them. The entrance led to a small tunnel, just barely tall enough for David to stand in, but it was plenty wide enough for him and any others to walk side by side.

Nera, upon seeing him, bowed respectfully before walking to him on four legs. **"Greetings Leader, I have completed my task as you wished, and brought your Sophia back to your chamber."** She said.

"Thank you very much, how did she take the explanation?" He asked.

" **About as well as expected, though I am very tired Leader, may me and my brother retire to bed?"** She asked with a yawn. **"Your Sophia is familiar with your chamber now, and is making it more, in her words… fit for civilized life."**

"Very well Nera, you and Yara may be excused." He said before scratching her head in gratitude. "Thank you very much for offering to bring her here earlier, she means a lot to me. She's practically my only family for miles, apart from my family in Lumiose."

" **I am truly honored by your gratitude to me."** She said with a small purr. **"I wish you and your Prime Mate an 'eventful' night."**

With that she and Yara left together, allowing David and Lucy to blush before proceeding into the Leader's chamber.

His new chamber, or bedroom as he should call it, was very spacious, about as spacious as his cabin had been. There was a small pool on one side with a miniature waterfall feeding it a steady stream of water, which also drained continually so it didn't overflow. He guessed that it served as both a source of drinking water as well as bath because it was only about as deep as his knee. In a corner of the room was what looked like a bed made of leaves and with twigs to keep the leaves in place. There was even a hole dug into the roof which allowed light to filter into the room so that he could tell if it was night or day, it was only half foot wide so no Pokemon could slip in or find it.

He noticed that there was also a small alcove dug into the wall opposite the bed that went in a few feet before it became obscured by rock, clearly indicating where whoever would live here did their business. He also noticed that there were other, foreign objects within the room, as he doubted that Scar had a small comfort bed, mirror, stash of squeaky toys, and blankets with pillows lying around.

In fact the cause of all of this was a Furfrou which was currently rummaging around in a suit case, clearly unaware of David and Lucy entering the room.

" **Unsanitary, I swear this room is unsanitary!"** She shouted as her tail wagged furiously. **"Honestly, a bathroom with the only privacy being a rock, a bathtub that's also a water bowl, a bed made of leaves and twigs? What kind of brain damaged wild runt of a litter came up with that brilliant idea! Not even a curtain for privacy!"**

"Hi Sophia, I take it you find our accommodations unsatisfactory?" He asked calmly, grinning as he knew how she'd react.

Hearing him talk she stiffened, looked up from behind the suit case, looked at him for a second and yipped happily before jumping at him. **"David!"** She barked, licking his face happily as though she were a pup. **"Oh David thank goodness you're safe, I was so worried earlier!"** She continued to lick, nuzzle and otherwise show her the usual affection she showed him, ignoring Lucy in the background glaring at her. **"I heard everything from Nera, look at you, leader of a Pokemon Pack. Do you have any idea what you're getting into? I can't believe you'd do something like this, but enough of that, you're safe and sound and that's all that matters to me!"**

Lucy coughed angrily at being ignored, and hearing her, Sophia looked up and saw the Absol for the first time. The two glared at each other for only a moment, before they each looked at each other's eyes. **"You look… no… seem familiar somehow."** Lucy said curiously.

" **You have a mark in your left eye as well?"** Sophia said with surprise. **"I thought it was just me and David who had them."**

"No, Lucy has one as well." He said, feeling the tension between the two.

" **Not just us… but a Lapras down in the lake, he too has one like us."** Lucy said. **"Tomorrow we have to speak with him, we need to figure out why we all have these marks. Because no matter who I ask, nobody else has them apart from us, and none of my family had this mark either so I didn't inherit it."**

"Nor me." David said.

" **Nor I, but enough of that, I want to know what you're doing here."** Sophia growled. **"As far as I'm concerned you're the cause of this whole problem. If David didn't know you, we would still be in our warm and comfortable cabin, tucking each other in for bed."**

"Um, that's a bit more complicated to explain." David said nervously.

" **Try me."** She growled again.

So for the next ten minutes David and Lucy explained the power structure and hierarchy of the pack. They explained what his role was as Leader, and what he was to do, finally his obligation to choose what they called a 'Prime Mate', in other words his wife. Which is why Lucy was there, as since she was the only Pokemon he knew well enough in the pack, and who had the knowledge as well as skills to protect him, she was the best candidate for the job.

After their explanations, Sophia looked between Lucy and David, before she growled her next instructions. **"David, leave us alone for a few minutes. I want to have a few words in private with her."**

" **You can't talk to our Leader like that!"** Lucy growled, but was silenced by David.

"Alright, but don't do anything Sophia, she's still my Prime Mate." He said.

" **I won't."**

(Sophia's PoV)

Sophia waited until David was out of the room, and well outside, before she spoke to Lucy. **"Alright, here's how it's going to go."** She growled. **"You are going to explain to me how and why you seduced my best friend, as well as master, into becoming his 'la épouse'. I don't care what the circumstances are, he's barely known you for over a year. As far as I'm concerned, this is all your fault, and you have no more right to even be NEAR him, let alone having sex with him!"**

She stared at Lucy's eye with the X mark in it, and saw her stance remain determined, but also softened as she spoke. **"I can't really explain it, as I told him before."** She said sadly. **"Something tells me that I love him, I can't explain it but something tells me he's the one I want. I wish I could explain but that's all I have to go on. I'm sorry for all of this, really I am, but I did all I could to protect him, please understand me."**

Sophia growled only once before nodding. **"I know how you feel, I don't understand it either but I feel as if I know what you're saying."** She said. **"Answer me honestly, and don't even think I won't know the difference. Tell me, did you do everything in your power to keep my David safe?"**

Lucy nodded. **"Scar had the twins, Nera and Yara restrain me with their psychic powers, using tree branches and sticks to keep me from warning David. If I could have warned him, I would have. I even begged Scar, saying I'd do anything if he'd leave David alone, even letting him rape me if that would work. He would have done it anyway, but if I gave into him…"**

Sophia nodded and stopped being so angry at the Absol. **"Alright I understand you, just promise me one thing!"** She said. **"Be the best wife to him you can be, he's very important to me, he's my whole world, and though I won't ever push myself on him. Well… let's just say if he ever wanted me, he only had to say the words and well… you get the idea."**

Sophia blushed at that, not sure why she was being so bold as to admit her feelings for her human friend and caretaker. She cared about him deeply, but love was something she wasn't sure about.

" **Well if you want… tonight is the night where he and I are to mate."** Lucy said with a sly grin. **"You know, since he is our new Leader, he deserves to have the best night of his life tonight."**

A that Sophia blushed even more. **"Are you serious, but shouldn't he just mate with you and solely you?"** She asked quietly.

Lucy's smiled only widened and a twinkle in her eye sparkled. **"For our pack, to mate with the leader is a great honor, and believe me when I say we'd leap at the chance to mate with him. In fact, he can have any female he wants whenever he wants. So sure, I will be his Prime Mate, but if he wants you or another female, nothing's stopping him but himself. Our last leader Scar… well let's just say he took that 'privilege' to heart, a little too much sometimes."**

Sophia nodded, only deepening her blush even more. **"Will he want me?"** She asked now, becoming very aware of the fact that the very subject they talked about was making her very wet in a certain place. **"I mean… would he find me attractive?"**

Lucy only winked before she looked over at the bed of leaves. **"With the proper… persuasion… I think so."** She giggled. **"Tell me, are you as humans say, a virgin?"**

Sophia nodded furiously. **"Never wanted a mate, never bothered, every heat David and his family gave me special medicine so my heat never took effect."**

" **Well what are we waiting for 'Sophie'...?"** She hinted with a wink. **"He's got two lovely virgins here, just waiting for him to rut and claim them. What say we get our 'Leader' and give him a good night? After all, he's going to be in charge and has a lot of things to think about, he'll need some form of release, right?"**

" **Oh of course darling."** Sophia said in her Lumiose accent, getting into the spirit and giggling. **"Avec Plaisir, let's make my owner a 'man' tonight."**

(David's PoV)

"I hope they're alright in there." He said, waiting outside the tunnel as Sophia asked. "I know Sophia can get vicious when she wants to be. I just hope she doesn't get to mean."

At that moment he heard Lucy call to him, telling him he could come inside. Sighing in relief, he went back into the tunnel and into the chamber, where he saw a sight that made his jaw almost drop.

Lucy laying on her side on the bed of leaves with a seductive smirk on her face and her lower legs positioned in such a way that they revealed her dripping sex. Adding to this scene was Sophia as she too looked at him with a seductive expression, and a very prominent blush on her cheeks, mirroring Lucy's position and revealing her own sex to him which was dripping fluids.

" **Hello David, sorry we took so long."** Lucy said with a smirk. **"But we just had to decide on who should go first with you tonight."**

" **Yes darling, you know how they say 'ladies first', well she's your Prime Mate so she should go first."** Sophia said with a grin. **"Now don't stand there staring, you've got two lovely girls waiting eagerly for you to mate with. And you can't go to sleep until you've claimed us as your own."**

"Sophia… Lucy…"He said with a blush, as well as a certain pressure building in his pants.

" **I told you David, I've kept my purity… just for you."** Lucy said, blushing furiously as she flipped over and moved to make space for him. **"Please take me David, I've waited patiently for you, don't keep me waiting anymore."**

(Multi PoV)

He gulped and found himself moving closer to the bed and his waiting girls. "You know… I haven't done anything like this… ever." He said, kneeling on the bed and moving to sit between them both.

" **Neither have we."** Sophia said nervously. **"So just relax, and let us take care of you… Tell me David, do you remember all those times I've been in the Barber getting trimmed?"** David nodded as she gave him a loving and seductive lick on his face. **"Well, one of their favorite topics they talked when they thought nobody was listening, was what it was like to have a** **ménage à trois. But unlike those idiots who could barely get a girlfriend, you get to have it… without any effort."**

Lucy nodded as she used her teeth to unzip David's pants and pull them down with her paws, who helped her out by pulling down and removing his underwear. **"Oh my!"** Lucy gasped as she beheld his member, which was halfway aroused and hard, which at current length reached five inches. **"You've been keeping THIS to yourself all this time 'Sophie'."**

" **It's Sophia… and yes…"** Sophia said, wide eyed as she too beheld his member. **"Gracieux… I've never seen it personally."**

"Is it… alright… I mean…" He said, a little embarrassed at being judged by his lifelong friend and new wife.

" **For an Absol… we're really lucky if our mate is about… six inches…"** Lucy said with a smile. **"You aren't even ready… and you're already 'big' for me."**

" **Merde… for a Furfrou, five inches is big…"** Sophia said. **"For you to be this big already… magnifique is all I can say darling."**

David nodded as he removed his last piece of clothing, his shirt, because it was becoming exceptionally hot. He wasn't the fittest person, but he definitely wasn't chubby in the least. He had a solid build of muscle, and his constant strolls and trips to Camphrier Town made sure he was well built.

Unsure of how to start, it was Lucy who took the initiative and licked the tip of his member, sending a shiver down his spine as well as electing a moan of pleasure from him. Not to be left out, Sophia chose to start with his mouth, and pushed her muzzle against his, trying and succeeding in getting an awkward kiss going between them.

" **Oh I'm feeling so ready for you David, I don't know how much longer I can resist."** Lucy said as she continued to pleasure his member with licks until she decided to take it in her mouth, giving him his first ever blowjob.

"Mmm…" Was all David could manage as Lucy continued to show her affection for him by kissing him, now giving him tongue as she allowed him to enter her mouth and explore inside of it.

Sophia on the other hand was in absolute bliss as she continued to kiss her master, the one who she not only lived with since they were both pup and baby, but who took care of her and whom she protected. She could feel her sex dripping more and more with each lick and each second she kissed, wanting something inside of it after being denied for so many years.

One side effect of the medicine that killed her heat, was becoming apparent with each passing second. She had never had a proper heat cycle since she was of four years of age, or when her body had sexually matured. Because of that, she never had to 'relieve' herself whenever her heat cycle came around due to the medicine being given before it even occurred. Now however, it seemed that her heat cycle had come months early, and the cause was evident, her arousal with her master preparing to mate with them.

She wanted him to fuck her, not just fuck her though, she wanted him to be forceful. She always considered herself a delicate flower, one needing tending every day. But now, she was just another Furfrou in heat, and she didn't care about being treated 'delicately', she wanted her master to fuck her wildly, like an untrained beast, and by Arceus she wanted to be dominated and treated like his 'bitch'.

Lucy likewise was also in paradise, as she pleasured her new mate's member to its full readiness, and watched as it grew another two inches in length thanks to her constant licking and sucking. She opened her eyes to see David and Sophia making out heavily, and this made her grin as she realized that he was getting so aroused thanks to hers and Sophia's efforts.

Once she felt that his member was fully hardened, and now standing at an erect seven inches, she stopped pleasuring him and smiled. **"Alright Leader, time to make me yours."** She said, turning around and doing what Pokemon of her body type do to prepare for mating. She lowered her front half down, and raised her tail as high as she could, allowing him a full view of her sex as well as easy access to it.

Sophia saw this and stopped kissing David, allowing him to get up and look at Lucy as she presented herself. **"Don't keep her waiting lover boy."** Sophia whispered. **"Just remember… after her, I'm next."**

David nodded as he knee walked over to the Absol and lined himself up with her, only pushing the tip to her entrance. "Are you sure about this Lucy?" He asked, wanting to be sure about her decision.

" **I've waited all these years to give you the only gift I can give once…"** She said, looking back at him with a smile and a gleam in her eyes. **"Don't worry about my pain… its nothing compared to what I'll be feeling. Now take me Leader… I'm your Prime Mate, and I'm only going to let you ever do this with me!"**

With that he nodded and pushed his member into her waiting sex, instantly feeling the warmth and wetness of her folds. She was tight, that was all he could describe, wonderfully warm and absolutely tight around his member. As he entered her he heard her moan while he gripped her hips with his hands, until he pressed further in and felt something stopping him, like a thin wall. Instantly he knew what it was, and looked at her for permission to break it.

She nodded at him, giving him permission to claim her virginity.

Without another thought he pulled back slightly before pushing forward and breaking the small barrier of flesh.

Lucy yipped in pain before silencing herself, knowing that the pain would only last a little bit. If she could just get past this moment of pain, she would only feel pleasure from here on out. **"How… does it feel… to take that which I've treasured and protected… for thirty six seasons David?"** She asked.

"If I remember… two seasons is a human year to Pokemon." He said, before he started to thrust Lucy, electing moans of pleasure with each thrust. "It feels amazing inside of you… I'm so lucky and honored… to be your first!"

" **I'm… ah… glad… I can't ah… tell you how… happy I am!"** Lucy moaned, feeling his member pushing and poking at her cervix, wanting to gain access to her womb. **"You're… so big… so bi~g!"**

Sophia meanwhile was watching as her former friend now soon to be lover pounded his 'Prime Mate', noticing lines of blood trailing from the Absol's sex and down her legs, indicating the loss of her virginity. She too was feeling her sex getting even wetter, just seeing her master's member was making her even hornier.

The mere thought of it penetrating her, claiming her virginity, and even wondering if her sex could take his size was making her go crazy.

David meanwhile was having the time of his life, having never had sex before, all he could do was be amazed at how good his first time was going. Lucy's walls were absolutely tight, and the longer he went the tighter she felt. He could feel his member touching the lip of her womb, and this only made his pleasure even better.

" **Oh… please… take me!"** Lucy yelled, her tongue hanging out as she leaned her head back. **"Grab my horn… pull on it… make me yours!"**

Wanting to please Lucy, he did as she begged and grabbed her horn and pulled hard on it, electing a scream of pleasure from her. He guessed that her horn acted as a pleasure point when it came to sex. As he continued to fuck her, he felt a growing pressure in his member, and somehow knew that he was approaching his orgasm. Being a virgin meant he obviously couldn't last for long, and neither could Lucy by the sounds of her moans.

"Lucy… I think I'm about to…" He said.

" **Me to… do it… inside me!"** Lucy said. **"Inside me… give me your seed… all of it… inside me!"**

That erotic thought pushed to thrust harder as he felt her orgasm, coating his member in her fluids, which just so happened to open her cervix, granting his member full access to her womb. Taking advantage of it, he hilted himself as he came hard, pumping his seed into her womb and letting it pool up.

Lucy screamed in joy as she felt David's cum inside her womb, knowing that now she was his and his alone. How many potential males did she refuse, how many did she fight off, how long has she waited for this feeling? She didn't know, all that she knew was that as David leaned over her and pulled her face so they could kiss mouth to mouth, was think one single idea.

She just had sex, and it was amazing, not only that, but she mated with her new Leader and Prime Mate.

She was his, and his alone.

"Thank you Lucy…" David said as he parted from her lips.

" **Oh… you are welcomed…"** Lucy said exhaustedly. **"For a first timer… you sure… did fine… I can't wait for the next time."**

"Heh…" He said as he moved in for another kiss.

" **Oh David…"** Sophia whispered, causing him to look over at her. **"You still have one more first timer waiting for you darling… don't keep me waiting!"**

David nodded and pulled himself out of Lucy, who was clearly too tired for another round. "So Sophia, how do you want it, now that I'm no longer shy about this?" He asked as she laid down and flipped herself onto her back.

" **Simple, I want you to fuck me like the Femelle du chien that I am."** She said with a grin, spreading her rear legs as wide as she could to let him have access to her. **"I'm in my first heat darling, the first proper heat I've had in fourteen years. Don't even show me gentleness, take me hard… take me rough… make me your chienne personnelle… and fill up my womb with so much of your seed that I have twenty eggs in one go!"**

He grinned as he lined up his still hard member with her sex. "One rough ride, coming right up."

Sophia grinned as she felt him begin to enter her sex, and as soon as the tip entered she began to panic. He was average size for a human, but for a Furfrou like her, he was massive. She wondered if she could take him inside of her. However it was too late to take back what she asked, and she didn't want to deny herself and him this moment. But still, the pain she felt as he pushed himself inch by inch into her was enough to make her whimper.

David saw her begin to look afraid as he entered her, and saw the pain she was feeling etched onto her face. Leaning forward he put his hand to her cheek and kissed her on her lips, showing her that he was there and didn't want to cause her pain. She calmed down significantly at his touch and nodded at him to proceed.

With her encouragement, he pushed harder into her, breaking her hymen and claiming her virginity as well. **"It hurts!"** Sophie screamed loudly as David hilted himself, forcing his member into her womb.

"Are you alright, do you want me to stop?" He asked nervously, fearing for his friend's safety.

" **No… don't worry… the pain will go away."** Sophia moaned. **"This is the only time… you can enjoy me like this. Don't worry about me… I can take it. Just give me a few moments…"**

He nodded and merely leaned to kiss his second mate of the night, letting her know that he was there. After a few seconds she said she was ready, and he began to thrust slowly at first into her sex, but as time passed he began to take her rougher.

Sophia was in paradise after she had adjusted to his size, she could literally feel him inside of her womb and was loving the feeling of him thrusting in and out of it constantly. She watched as her new mate began to show his dominance by silencing her moans of pleasure with his mouth, forcing his tongue inside her to dance with her own.

Now that all the pain from losing her virginity was gone, she could only feel pleasure, and she wanted more of it. **"Oh David…"** She gasped when they separated to breath. **"Take me harder, harder… harder and faster!"**

He nodded and did as she asked, he hilted himself harder and picked up his speed, his hips moving automatically as though he no longer had control over them. She was just as tight as Lucy was, if not even tighter, and he was loving it. Sophia was so different now than she usually was with him. Before she always asked him to be gentle with her, whether it was trimming her nails or brushing her fur.

Now however, she screamed at him to be something else. **"Oh yes… fuck me… take me… make me your chienne personnelle, make me your bitch!"** She yelled, leaning her head back as he began pounding away at her sex with his members.

For the next minute all that could be heard were their moans and the sound of hips smacking hips as he pounded her as hard as he could. Lucy watched with a content smile as the two made love to one another, smirking as she watched the 'tamed' Furfrou become a heat starved female. She watched her Prime Mate pound the Furfrou, completely ignoring the trails of blood that came from claiming Sophia's virginity.

However all good things come to an end, and she saw him picking up his pace as he and Sophia approaching their orgasm.

"Sophia, I'm about to…" He said to his lover.

" **Inside me… inside me master… fill up my womb with your seed Master!"** Sophia barked, placing her front paws on his shoulder and trying to wrap her rear legs around his hips as best she could.

A few thrusts later he felt Sophia's orgasm hit them both, and right after her he came as well, coating his member with her fluids and filling her womb with his seed as he hilted himself one last time. As he filled her womb her body went stiff, feeling both of their orgasms hit them both.

Sophia couldn't move as she was filled with her master's seed, her rear legs were actually numb from how rough he was with her, and she loved the feeling.

"So… how was I Sophia?" David asked his Furfrou.

Sophia smiled as she felt her body relax after coming down from her high. **"I can feel your seed swirling around inside me…"** She said with a content sigh. **"You were amazing… absolutely amazing darling…"**

He nodded and slowly pulled himself out of her, trailing a bit of their essences from her sex as he did, before laying down next to his Furfrou and pulling her in for a hug. As he laid down he felt something soft being draped over them, and saw Lucy dragging one of the blankets Sophie had brought from his cabin onto the bed. Smiling he helped her out and pulled it over all three of them as Lucy laid next to him, laying her head on his chest and preparing to fall asleep.

" **Thank you David… for claiming our purity…"** Lucy said with a loving kiss on his cheek. **"I'm so glad… that you were my first. I love you…"**

"And I love you, both of you." He replied, placing his arms under both girls and wrapping them in a hug. "Sweet dreams you two."

" **You as well love, dreams all around here…"** Sophia said as David closed his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. **"You know Lucy… about having his eggs… I think I might actually have them with how full I am."**

Lucy giggled and glared at her with a grin. **"Not so fast there poodle girl… I'm the Prime Mate here, so that means I get first dibs at giving birth."**

" **Why not at the same time, I think there's enough room in his life for two 'Prime Mates'… if not then I can get behind the idea of being his Second Mate."** Sophia giggled.

" **There's no position like that… not yet anyway."** Lucy smirked. **"Course… if we do want to get pregnant… we may need more of his seed. You know… just to be on the safe side…"**

"I can hear you two you know… and leme just say." David whispered quietly, causing both the Absol and Furfrou to look at him. "I can get used to this…"

At that both girls giggled even more before at long last they began to sleep. David was first, followed by Lucy, and Sophie soon after, three mates in a single pack.

David's last thought before dreams took him away from his two girls was how he could deffinately get used to this. Oh yes, doing something like this every night or whenever he wanted with Sophia and Lucy, he could most definitely get used to it.


	5. Chapter 5

_*Destiny and fate…*_

 _*Two words for decisions out of our control…*_

 _*Yet ours was foretold the moment it began.*_

=Chapter 5, The Future Generation=

(David's PoV)

David awoke to the sight of sunlight shining through the room of his room and blinked a few times to get his eyes adjusted. At first he thought something was wrong since he didn't wake up in his cabin, but then his memories came flooding back to him. "Oh yea… I became a Pokemon Pack's leader." He said, remembering Scar the Houndoom, the twins Yara and Nera, Lucy, the Council of Elders. "If I remember… I also mated with Lucy and Sophie… did that really happen or was that just a dream?"

" **You really need to stop mumbling in the morning darling."** Sophia barked quietly next to him.

He looked to his side to see Sophia with her eyes shut tight but a very content smile present on her face. Judging by the fact that he was naked under the blankets, next to his Furfrou, last night wasn't a dream. "Sophia, where's Lucy?" He asked, noticing that said Absol wasn't there with them.

" **Something about starting her duties as Prime Mate."** She mumbled again, nuzzling into his chest as she did. **"Said she needed to arrange foraging groups, and said she'd wait for you in the lake chamber to meet with some… Lapras or something, said his name was Terrance."**

"How long ago was this?" He asked her.

" **An hour love…"** She whispered. **"Please don't go yet… I'm so comfortable right now."**

"I'm sorry but I think I need to get up as well." He said as he got out of their bed and put on his clothes. "Do you want to stay here until I come back?"

" **I'm still tired from last night, so I'll just stay here and wait."** Sophia said with a smile. **"If you feel like going another round, I'll be waiting."**

"Is that all your thinking about now?" He asked her as he put his shoes on.

" **What can I say, I became your mate last night."** She replied, still keeping her eyes closed. **"In fact I loved how rough you were darling, my back legs were still sore this morning. Now get going love, you've got a pack to lead, and duties to take care of. Don't need your pet poodle following after you."**

"You were never my pet poodle Sophie." David said, reaching down to stroke her soft fur. "You were one of my best friends, and you'll always be my best friend no matter what. Even now that we're mates, you're still my lovely Furfrou friend."

Sophie smiled and opened one eye to look at him, and he saw that she was staring at him with the same care and love that Lucy showed when she looked at him. **"That's nice to hear… I always wondered what you thought of me."** She whispered. **"I often wished I could mate with you… but I refused to offer it because I feared what you'd say. Of course… if you ever wanted it… all you'd have to do was ask, and I'd have become your la puta."**

"You're not a slut… not to me." He said with the same smile, before leaning down and kissing his Furfrou.

Sophia responded by letting him kiss her however he wanted, and opened her mouth to let his tongue enter her. Apparently she was so tired that she didn't even try to battle his for dominance, and merely let him deepen the kiss, choosing instead to moan softly as she submitted to him.

After a few moments they stopped kissing and Sophia stared at him with loving eyes, before giving him one final lick and tucking herself under the blanket.

With that, he got up and walked out of his chamber and into the tunnel toward the main meeting room. As he left his chamber, he found Yara and Nera both waiting for him. "Hello Yara, Nera, can I help you?" He asked.

" **That's what we're supposed to ask you Leader."** Nera said politely. **"But no, there's nothing we need help with."**

" **No, my sister and I were asked by the elders to inform you that they wish to speak with you."** Yara said. **"They said that as you are now officially declared Leader, as well as now have your Prime Mate, they have something they wish to discuss with you concerning the previous leader's laws."**

"I see, already wanting me to start making laws." He said with a sigh, knowing it was his job, but as he took the lead to head to the Elder's Chamber he found himself realizing something. "Tell me, what do I really do, I never actually asked before but what is my actual job here. I know I'm the final say when it comes to making laws and settling issues and other decisions. But what do I 'actually' do here?"

" **Well Leader, first of all your job is as you just described, making laws and being the final voice in all things major and minor."** Nera said. **"You also have the responsibility to talk to other pack leaders, and basically keep the peace between our pack and neighboring packs. I believe you should prepare to make plans to meet with one of our current neighbors and rival pack, Pack Delica."**

"Pack Delica, what kind of name is that?" He asked curiously. "Also you referred to this pack as Pack David, why do you call it after my name, I've barely been leader for a day and you name it after me already?"

" **That's how we identify all other packs, all our packs are named after our leaders."** Yara replied as they turned a corner. **"When a new leader takes over or inherits the position, the pack's name changes to match the new leadership. This way there is no mistake in who the current leader in the pack is. Since some Pokemon look exactly like one another, it's the only way we've been able to identify our leaders for other Packs. So when we refer to us as Pack David, it signifies the change of leadership."**

"I see." David said, quite impressed at the way the pack quickly adapted to new leadership on the fly. "By the way, I've also been wanting to ask. Scar is still a part of this pack correct?"

" **Yes Leader, he still is."** Nera said.

"What's preventing him from trying to take back leadership of the pack from me?"

" **First of all, that would be difficult to achieve, since the pack now has an obligation to protect you from him."** Nera said. **"So even if he were to try anything, the pack as a whole would protect you from him. Second, is us, as your bodyguards we are sworn to protect you as well as advise you, so before he could get to you he must go through us."**

" **Thirdly for Scar to do that, he would need to challenge you to single combat, to reclaim his position honorably, as Leader you should commit to such actions but you do not have to agree to a fight."** Yara said. **"Before this was required, but after we lost seven leaders over the course of three weeks, each one seeking to claim the position because they wanted it for themselves, the sixth leader decreed that it would no longer be, before dying of a fatal wound he received upon his victory. Fourth, he would have to defeat your wife because her duty includes protecting you as well. Lucy may have been bound by us, but she is a skilled fighter on equal terms with Scar, you picked a fine Prime Mate Leader."**

" **Indeed, it was thanks to her that many of our foragers were able to retrieve enough food to last us last winter season. She protected them quite well against raiding Wingulls and other such thieves into our territory. Even now she ensured our scavengers had plenty of strong protectors before they head to the berry trees to forage."** Nera added.

"I'm sure my wife would be pleased to hear that." He said with a chuckle as they continued to walk.

(Scar's PoV)

Scar seethed angrily as he stood watch alone while protecting a group of Vulpix and Shinx foragers.

Yesterday afternoon he was head of the pack, every member respected and obeyed him, nobody questioned his word and everyone heeded his advice. Now here we was, stuck with guard duty over a group of foragers, alone. Watching for thieves or threats to the foragers.

All because of that cursed human, who stole his position.

Last night he found himself back in the pack's den, but not in his chamber, instead he was in one of the lesser chambers that normally only lower members of the pack had. When he went to ask what had become of the human, wondering if they perhaps killed him, he found that the human was still in charge.

Not only that, but he had a Prime Mate which legitimized his title as Pack Leader, and it was Lucy the only Absol in the pack who he had claimed.

That infuriated him more than anything, not only had he been replaced as Leader, but his potential Prime Mate had been stolen from him, literally last night! First his role as Leader, then the Absol he had his eye on, and even the pack's loyalty, all stolen by a Human.

" **I guarded and protected this pack from humans for seven years, and then the very thing I protected them against, takes over our pack?"** He growled to himself, imagining that whore of an Absol mating with the human.

He watched the foragers knock a few berries from the tree, using their abilities to knock them down without damaging the tree, before proceeding to gather them into a pile to be transported back to the den.

" **And that whore of an Absol had the audacity to order me… ME… to do this duty?"** He growled angrily, getting up to follow the foragers as they moved to the next tree. **"A day ago half the pact would have slaughtered that human, now they don't even think twice about trusting his words."**

What infuriated him most, was that he was fooling them all. Humans couldn't be trusted, and he didn't care what anyone said, this human was going to destroy their pack eventually.

He wouldn't allow that, no matter what the cost he would not allow this human to keep the position of Leader. He couldn't kill him right now, so soon after he was replaced, not while he was on alert and his guards watching his every move now. But eventually, his whore of an Absol would lower her guard, those Twins would get lax in their duty, and even that human would find himself dulled by the pleasures he no doubt would take advantage of. When that happened, he would strike, and strike he will.

He would reclaim his position and protect the pack from that human, but for now, he would simply bide his time and wait.

Wait for the moment he could kill that human.

(David's PoV)

"So let me see if I understand what you're saying." David said as he sat before the elders. "You want me to change this law regarding when a female gives birth to a male offspring, without the Prime Mate's consent, if the young is conceived accidentally because of the Leader and without his consent."

David was trying to wrap his mind about this law the elders had brought to his attention, saying it was quite urgent he deal with the issue. Under Scar's leadership, according to this law that he implemented a year after his original Prime Mate died giving birth, he decreed that any female who conceived a male offspring that was his, and without his permission, had to be killed off. Whether the mother intended or wanted to have the egg or not, if he did not give her permission to bear his offspring, the mother was required to kill it if the young was male.

The council had requested he deal with this law because a few female members of his pack, whom Scar had taken the liberty to 'relieve' while they were in heat, were facing the very prospect this law decreed. They were afraid David would require them to kill their young, as until he says otherwise, all previous laws remained the same under his rule. Meaning that unless he changed it, the mothers would be forced to kill their young offspring.

" **Indeed Leader."** Yin said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. **"Scar took advantage of many of our females, and the honor they gained by mating with the leader of our pack during his reign. As such, this has happened for many seasons, often he did the deed himself and claimed the life of many an offspring."**

" **We offered him council, but he declared that until he had a new Prime Mate, one he fancied, he would have no other male offspring other than those he conceived with his Prime Mate before she died."** Nayru said solemnly. **"Needless to say, many mothers wept under his leadership, despite how much he protected and cared about our pack's safety. For they feared the moment they would find out the gender of their unborn young, wondering if their young would be killed before having a chance to even know them."**

" **And of course, he often impregnated females without intending to, these mothers would be forced to bare his young until they found out the gender of the egg."** Kuma barked. **"You can understand how often those situations occurred."**

"I can…" He said, picturing Sophia and Lucy being forced to have Scar's children, and then worrying every waking moment if they would be forced to kill the very thing they gave birth to. "So why do you want me to change this law now exactly? I will change it, believe me, but why do you bring it up so suddenly when there are other laws that might be more important?"

" **It's important Leader, because prior to you becoming Leader, Scar mated with several females in heat over months ago."** Isis said, staring at him with her blind eyes. **"They became pregnant, and gave birth this morning and three of the mothers gave birth to male offspring. Though they aren't your young to worry about, this law remains in effect until you decree otherwise. If you do not decide, they will be forced to kill those pups to ensure you do not have rivals for your position. In our pack, only males may ascend to the position of leader, so female offspring never threatened him."**

"I see." He said in understanding. "So basically, unless I change this law, they'll have no choice but to kill their children."

" **That is correct Leader."** Jen said politely. **"There are other mothers waiting to give birth to Scar's young, so their young's fate is in your decision now. What will you do Leader?"**

He nodded again, thinking about his decision, but not needing any time to decide. "Then in that case, I decree that from now on, any female who gives birth to a male offspring of the Leader without his consent, does not have to kill the offspring. They may keep it if they wish, whether they wanted it or not, and if they do not want the young, then they must at least find an appropriate parent for the young."

At this there was a collective sigh of relief from the elders, with Isis, Nayru, and Jen all smiling happily at hearing those words. **"Thank you Leader, the mothers will be truly grateful to you for your decision."** Nayru said happily. **"I am quite certain, that any one of them would be ecstatic if you were to mate with them after this. The honor they would gain, would no doubt make them the happiest in the pack for many a nights."**

"I'm sure they would." He said with a smile, as well as a deep blush. "Tell me, where are these mothers right now?"

" **I believe they are waiting nervously for your decision outside of the nursery."** Kuma declared. **"The young caretaker, a Luxray named Gentaal, is watching over the young and protecting them, until he hears from you."**

"I wish to speak to them before I make my declaration, may I speak to them here in this chamber, or do I need to meet them somewhere else?"

" **You may speak to them where you wish, as that was all we had to talk to you today about, we will leave and return to our own rooms to rest."** Isis said cheerfully, getting up and yawning. **"I am quite sure the mothers will be truly happy after hearing your declaration. Good day Leader, I am pleased to know that my vision of you was correct. You truly do have something that our previous generations of leaders did not."**

The elders agreed as they left the chamber one by one, before he called Yara and Nera to join him inside. The two Meowstics walked inside and bowed instantly before sitting down. **"Yes Leader?"** They both asked.

"There's a group of mothers awaiting word for what will befall their young outside of the nursery." He said with a smile. "Can you please bring them here, I wish to inform them of my decision."

Both the two Meowstics nodded and said they would return momentarily with the mothers, and soon left the chamber, leaving him alone. Ten minutes later, the twins returned with three very nervous and afraid female Pokemon behind them, a Growlithe, a Ninetales, and finally a Vaporeon.

As they saw him, each of them bowed respectfully, but also with fear, clearly indicating the twins had told them he had called them in regards to their young. "Thank you very much Nera, Yara, please leave us for now." He said to the twins.

" **Yes Leader."** They said at the same time, bowing before walking on all fours to leave.

After they left the room was filled with a sense of fear as the three mothers awaited the fate of their children. "Why are you looking at me so fearfully?" David asked them, keeping his face as neutral as he could.

At his question all three looked nervously at each other before the Ninetales stepped forward to speak. **"Because… we're afraid you're going to kill our pups."** She said with a shaky voice and her nine tails trailing submissively behind her. **"I know I cannot influence your decision, whatever you decide we will obey. But I implore you… I beg you… please don't make us kill them!"** She whimpered, getting on her paws and bowing to him. **"This is my first litter… my first pup is male and his fate in your hands… please Leader, have mercy on him… don't make me kill my first pup…"**

At that she bowed to him, now with her eyes closed and doing all she could to restrain her tears and keep herself from crying. **"I'll do anything for you… no matter what… but please Leader… spare my first born pup… spare all of our pups."** She moaned, her voice breaking halfway through her plea. **"I'll let you violate me if that's what you want… just don't kill my pup."**

As one the other two females nodded, indicating that they too were of the same opinion. They didn't want their young to be killed either, and they too begged him to spare the lives of their pups.

"Tell me, did Scar force himself on you three to give you these pups?" He asked coldly, wondering if perhaps the previous 'leader' raped these poor Pokemon.

" **We were in heat… we needed release!"** The Ninetales said. **"I was honored to mate him, even if I got pregnant… but as the day I was to give birth drew near…"**

"What are your names?" He asked calmly.

" **Natalia…"** The Ninetales whispered.

" **Rose."** The Growlithe said.

" **Aurora…"** The Vaporeon said.

"Well Natalia, Rose and Aurora, I have reached my decision concerning your young, and there is nothing you can do to influence it." He said sternly, and he could even see tears starting to leak from the Ninetales' eyes. "I'm sorry to say, but you will 'not' be required to kill your young."

At that the three females looked up in shock, surprise evident on their faces as they heard what they clearly weren't expecting to hear. **"You… you mean… we don't…?"** Natalia asked, hope evident in her voice as she asked what she dared hope he said.

"I do not know what Scar's beliefs were when he made that ridiculous law." He said with a smile. "But killing any Pokemon, especially a baby, just because it happens to be male and was conceived without permission, is against my beliefs. So no, you three will not have to kill your pups. Not as long as I'm Leader of this pack, and nor will any other mother that Scar has impregnated while he was Leader. None of you will have to kill your sons to protect me."

As he eyed the three females again, seeing joy radiate in them, he felt himself smile, knowing he just made their lives happier with just his words. "To me… all life is sacred, nothing deserves to die just because it lives."

At that declaration all three of the mothers cheered in gratitude, and Natalia even jumped at him to lick his face. **"THANK YOU!"** Natalia screeched, continuing to lick him happily. **"Thank you Leader, thank you so much!"**

"Alright, enough!" He said with a laugh as he managed to push the Ninetales off of him. "I have to make the announcement to the pack later on, so I would like you to keep my decision to yourselves until then. Alright?"

" **Yes Leader!"** All three said, looking at him with deep respect and admiration.

"In that case, may I ask one more thing of you three?" He asked, to which all three nodded. "May I see your young, it would be an honor and a privilege if you three would let me see them."

" **It would be an honor to have you see them!"** Aurora said, tears streaming down her face.

Ten minutes of walking with the twins beside him and the three mothers behind them, and David was looking at the entrance to the pack's nursery, where the pups of the pack stayed until they were old enough to join as foragers. As they entered the first thing he heard were the mules and cries of infant Pokemon and newborns.

The inside of the nursery was small and brightly lit, with a pool of water for them to drink from or swim in, and soft sand covering the floor for other Pokemon. Running around the nursery were very small Pokemon, barely over a year old and enjoying their young lives as they played with each other. Many of them were small Shix, Growlithes, Poochyenas, Eevee's, but he also saw the occasional Houndour, Shroomish, Vulpix, and even an Ekans, all of whom were laughing and simply being children.

Watching them with a Fearow's glare and gaze, was a male Luxray that stood guard from one side of the room where he could observe all of the activity at once. At his entrance the Luxray looked over at David and the mothers, and instantly knew what they were there for.

He got up, stretched and walked over slowly to David, a somber expression as he observed the mothers behind him. **"Greetings Leader, welcome to the nursery."** He said, though as he did his fangs bared momentarily, as though he were preparing to defend something with his life.

"Hello there, I believe your name is… Gentaal if I'm correct." He said politely, noticing the protective posture of the Luxray.

" **I'm honored that you know my name, I almost never leave this nursery very often Leader, so it honors me that you would even concern yourself with something as pathetic as remembering my name."** He said, though still with a piercing glare in his eyes. **"Have you reached your decision concerning the young of the previous Leader?"**

David nodded with a smile, "Yes I have Gentaal, and I'm only here to see their pups." He said. "Don't worry, none of their pups need meet the fate Scar would have given them. Nor any other pups that Scar may have conceived, willing or unwillingly. All of them are equal in my eyes, so they will all have the chance to live their life."

At that the Luxray breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his stance as several young pups ran over to their group, a Growlithe, a group of Vulpix, and an Eevee, all squealing as they ran to their mothers. The mothers themselves were nuzzling their young lovingly, cherishing the moment they saw them, and knowing that they didn't need to fear losing any of them. David too smiled at the love he saw before them.

Though these mothers conceived Scar's young, they clearly didn't regard him as their father, and he knew that Scar did not love them the same way as their mothers did.

" **It is good, what you have decreed Leader."** Gentaal said, smiling gently as he watched the pups with longing in his eyes. **"I know that if they were my mate's pups, I would have died protecting them, before our Leader even stepped near them. I'm sure I speak for them, when I say that you have earned their undying loyalty and respect for what you have allowed them to keep."**

"Do you have any young here by any chance?" He asked out of curiosity. "Is that why you're in charge of the nursery?"

" **No… I do not have a mate…"** Gentaal said sadly, looking around the room at all of the pups with an expression of longing. **"I am not worthy of such a gift…"**

"Why's that, the way you seem to talk, and the fact you watch over so many pups and young, you'd be a great father." He said in surprise. "Is there no female who likes you or takes your interest?"

" **No… there is a female who I love… and who loves me… and would claim as my own mate if I could."** He said, standing up and walking away from the mothers as they gave their pups affection. **"It's just… I can never have a family… I guess I'm unworthy of such a thing."**

"Unworthy, you look like an ideal father to me." He said, watching as Gentaal played with a few passing by young for a few moments before moving on. "From what I see hear, you'd be a wonderful father. Heck you could probably be an amazing dad to any of those mother's pups."

" **Perhaps… but I cannot have pups of my own."** He whispered mournfully. **"I will never have pups of my own Leader, no matter how much I want or try. This position as Nursery Guardian is the closest I'll ever get to being a father."**

"Why, if you don't mind telling me." He asked the Luxray as he sat down to stare sadly at all of the pups.

" **Because… I am sterile."** He whispered, now looking thoroughly depressed as he did. **"I found out after four seasons of mating with this one female, and never once producing pups with her."**

"Sterile… that would definitely do the trick for a potential father." David said, looking around at all of the young baby Pokemon with a sad expression as well.

He now knew why this Luxray was so protective of these pups, they all meant something important to him, and something he longed for yet could never have. As long as he was sterile, Gentaal was right, being a Nursery Guardian was the closest he'll ever get to being a dad.

"If there were something I could do…" He whispered.

" **Don't worry about it Leader, I've gotten used to it…"** Gentaal said with a sigh, smiling gently as he saw the mothers curl up with their pups while they decided to take a nap. **"I'm just glad to know, that I don't need to stain my nursery's floor ever again."**

David nodded and got back up, and proceeded to leave, saying that he had to speak to the pack as a whole to inform them of his decree. "Take care of these young Gentaal, they are the future of this pack." He said with a smile. "And also, I have a rule for you to follow as Nursery Guardian. I don't care what Scar says, as far as I'm concerned, he's not allowed anywhere near these pups while they're under your care. If he even takes one step near this place, I want you to shock him and keep him away. If anyone asks or if he demands an answer, tell him that the Pack Leader decrees that any father who would order the death of his own pup, doesn't deserve the privilege to be near a pup."

Gentaal nodded and said he would protect these pups with his life, and would do his best to keep Scar away from them.

Upon leaving, the three mothers followed him and the twins to the main meeting hall, where Nera and Yara began to summon the whole pack together. After an hour of making psychic calls and shouts to the pack, they all assembled in front of David in the main meeting hall. Some gossiping as they waited for David to explain why he summoned them all.

As the last stragglers walked in, Lucy walked steadily toward David and sat next to him, giving him a warm smile as she did. He smiled back and, feeling bold and wanting to make sure everyone knew whose mate she was, leaned forward and kissed her full on the lips, adding a bit of tongue to make her coo.

Lucy moaned in pleasure and simply melted into his kiss, only parting after a few seconds so that he could address the pack properly, though by now everyone was looking at the pair.

"Attention everyone!" David shouted. "It has come to my attention that there are certain laws passed by the previous Leader that are, in my words…" He said, making sure everyone was listening carefully. "Are completely horrendous. The mere thought that any leader, no matter who or what they are, would order the deaths of pups simply because they were male and conceived without his consent, by that very same leader. It's absolutely revolting, and as my very first decree to this pack, I am changing that law."

He looked around and saw a few females listening very attentively, a few of them Mightyenas and even a couple Luxrays and Luxios. "From now on as long as I'm leader, no mother will be required to kill any of their offspring. So to those mother who Scar conceived offspring with, you do not have to worry about killing any males you may have. That is my first decree, and as long as I'm still your Pack Leader, it is law!"

A few Pokemon yipped politely but he got the most enthusiastic cries from the females, especially the ones who were clearly pregnant.

" **You made a few mothers happy today David."** Lucy said with a smile. **"You know, there are other laws that Scar made that no doubt they will ask you to change. Some of them were for the protection of the pack, and others were just for personal reasons. Are you going to change them all?"**

"One law at a time Lucy, one at a time." He said as the pack continued to cheer for his declaration. "I don't know if everything Scar decreed was good or bad like this one, but I know I have to think about every law carefully. These are Pokemon I have to take care of, they have feelings and emotions of their own. As Leader I need to take care of them."

" **And that is why I said, you'll be a good Leader."** She replied, leaning on his shoulder and looking out at the pack.

He nodded and waited for everyone to calm down, before he cleared his throat again. "Now that that declaration is out of the way, are there any issues or subjects that should be brought to my attention?" He said, calling for everyone's attention.

There was silence as everyone waited for someone else to speak, and then a pair of Vulpix's stepped forward. **"Leader, we're the scouts who patrol the eastern border of Pack Delica."** One of them said, male by the sound of his voice. **"One of their patrols attempted to cross into our territory, and we promptly chased them off. We feel this may have been an attempt to gather intelligence on the strength of our pack, perhaps even a prelude to a first strike. We would like to request additional patrols for our western border."**

He looked to Lucy who nodded in understanding. "Very well, my Prime Mate will make the necessary arrangements, and I believe that as Pack Leader, I should speak to the leader of Pack Delica?" He asked the twins in front of him, who nodded. "Very well then, tomorrow I'll set out to speak with the leader of Pack Delica, perhaps to find out what this patrol's purpose was and why they sent it. Is that all?"

" **Yes leader."** The second Vulpix said.

"Very good then, is that all that needs to be addressed?" He asked the hall.

A few seconds later another pair of Pokemon, one Shinx and one Growlithe. **"Leader, we're scouts for our western border, which borders the eastern border of Pack Logan."** The Shinx said, apparently female. **"All is quiet on the western border, but in a few days the Wingull Swarm that plagues our foraging parties will arrive. They traditionally come from that border, and we feel that we should harvest all of the berry trees before they arrive. This way we will have enough to feed the pack without having to rely on our winter reserves."**

"Very well, I'll have my Prime Mate instruct the foragers as well, is that all you have to report?" He asked.

" **Yes Leader."** The Growlithe replied, before returning to his and the Shnx' previous spot.

"Now then, are there any other issues or subjects that I should know about?" He asked, and waited patiently for someone else to talk, but after a while nobody spoke. "Very well then, this meeting is adjourned, have a good day everyone."

With that said, everyone began to file out of the hall, except for David and Lucy who stayed behind to talk a little. "So Lucy, how was your day?" He said cheerfully as his Absol mate nuzzled him lovingly.

" **Oh it was average, I've had to get used to being in charge around here, but I made sure to join the foragers to act as their guard."** She said with a giggle. **"Normally I'd be the one taking orders and doing whatever I'm told. Now I get to give the orders and everyone obeys."**

"I see, I hope that wasn't the reason you seduced me into making you Prime Mate." He said with a smirk.

" **No it wasn't my love… but I can't say I dislike my new position."** She replied with a grin. **"How was your conversation with the old folks, boring and long winded with the wind bags?"**

At that the twins growled angrily at Lucy, but otherwise remained silent. "Why do you always talk badly about the Elders Lucy?" He asked her. "They may be old but give them their respect."

" **I do David, I just like to poke fun at them for being old."** She said. **"But if you insist, I'll stop calling them windbags, alright?"**

"Alright, now then, I believe that's all my duties for today, what time is it?" He asked her.

" **Almost nightfall, I've already informed the night watch to take over, so now we get the rest of the night to ourselves."** She said, yawning as she did.

"Wow, it's that late already?" He said in amazement. "I can hardly tell the time down here without the sun."

" **You get used to it."** She replied. **"Well, it's too late to talk to Terrance now, while you were busy dealing with the elders and talking, I talked to him and told him about you and Sophia. He says he wants to talk to you as soon as possible tomorrow. Hopefully you'll have time before you leave for your trip to Pack Delica."**

"I hope so, well let's go back to our chamber." He said, getting up and stretching. "No doubt Sophia is waiting impatiently for us."

With that they both left the meeting hall and made their way down to their chamber. Halfway through, the Twins requested they be excused, and he did so, allowing them to go to bed early. As they reached the entrance to their chamber however, they were stopped because they found a Pokemon sitting in front of the entrance.

"Natalia, what are you doing here?" He asked the Ninetales, recognizing it as one of the mothers from earlier.

" **Leader, I'm sorry for sitting here waiting for you."** She said with a short bow. **"But as I am not allowed in your chamber without your permission, or your Prime Mate's consent, I had to wait for you out here."**

"It's alright but what do you want?" He asked her.

" **I'd like to talk to you about it… in your chamber… please."** She said hesitantly.

Lucy glanced at the Ninetales before looking between him and her, and grinned as though she made a connection. David however, didn't notice this and was oblivious to what Lucy was thinking. "Alright then, come on in." He said, leading the way into their chamber.

Once inside he saw that Sophia had been up and active, the bed had a new sheet on it for them to sleep on, and the blanket was spread evenly on it. She had even put some pillows on it for him to lay his head on, in one corner next to the bed was her own smaller bed where she normally slept in their cabin, with her line of squeaky toys lying around next to it. The suitcase itself was lying next to one side of the room, open to reveal several changes of clothes for him that she had brought with her.

Next to the water that served as a bath and drinking water were several towels with small boxes of soap bars. Next to the bathroom were a few rolls of toilet paper for his use, as well as placed a mirror for him to use and even his old alarm clock next to the bed. Finally she had placed a 'welcome' mat at the entrance to the chamber.

Sophia herself was busy using her paws to finish straightening the blanket out for them to sleep. Upon noticing them, Sophia looked up and smiled at seeing him. **"David darling, goodness you caught me off guard!"** She said, hopping off the bed. **"I just finished preparing your bed, tell me what do you think of your new home?"**

"Impressive that you managed this yourself Sophia." He said, looking at all of her hard work.

" **Well obviously I had to make it decent for civilized life in here!"** She said proudly. **"I have no intent on letting us sleep in anything dissimilar to what we're used to darling!"** As she stopped basking in her self-glory, she noticed Natalia as well as Lucy behind him. **"So… who's the Ninetales?"**

"Oh yes, Sophia, this is Natalia, a mother Ninetales of the pack." He said, introducing the female behind him. "Earlier today I made a decree that basically dissolved one of Scar's laws. If I didn't, Natalia would have lost one of her Vulpix pups because it was Scar who was the father, and because the pup was a male."

" **What?!"** Sophia barked angrily. **"You mean to tell me this Scar raped this poor thing, and would have killed his own son?"**

" **In a manner of speaking."** Lucy said.

" **Why I oughta!"** She barked even more angrily. **"Show me this imbécile, I'll rip off his dick and feed it to a Carvanha!"**

"That's not necessary Sophia." He said sternly, though he too wanted to give Scar a piece of his mind. "In any case, Natalia came here to speak to me about something."

" **Oh did she?"** Sophia asked politely, calming down as she walked over to her bed. **"Well go on then, by all means ask away."**

Natalia looked at the Furfrou with curiosity as well as inferiority before she spoke up. **"Uhm… is she your… mate for the night?"**

"No, she's not my mate for the night." He said, blushing as he chose to sit down on the bed. "She's my very good friend, only Lucy comes closer as she's my Prime Mate. Sophia has lived with me since I was born, in fact she was born at the same time as me."

" **I see… well Leader… I came to make a request of you tonight."** Natalia asked nervously, eyeing Lucy and now Sophia with apprehension. **"Will you allow me to mate with you tonight?"**

At that Lucy grinned even more, while Sophia and David went wide eyed with shock. "Uh… is there a reason why you want to all of a sudden?"

At that she smiled hopefully at him, before closing her eyes to take a deep calming breath. **"I want to thank you… for what you did today."** She said. **"You saved my pup, the other's pups… you put to mind so many mothers that their pups are safe. I speak for the other mothers that Scar made when I say… we are in your debt Leader."** She opened her eyes and stared at him with hope again. **"Please, it would be the greatest honor to mate with you tonight, after what you did for me. If you would mate with me… I would be so honored. I can't thank you enough and… mating is the only thing I can offer you to show my gratitude."**

"Uh, Lucy, are you alright with this?" David asked Lucy, knowing that she would have a word or two about this.

" **I've got nothing against it."** She said with a glint in her eye. **"The only thing I'm wondering is why you aren't horny yet. I'm in the mood, this Ninetales is in the mood, and I can smell that Sophia is definitely in the mood. You've got three females sitting in one room wanting to fuck one male. So all I'm going to ask is when are you going to fuck us like the Alpha Male you should be acting like?"**

" **Oh… a foursome?"** Sophia yipped, getting out of her bed and walking with a smirk on her face. **"Bonté my darling, I didn't think you had it in you. Well, as Lucy said… I'm in the mood still…"** She said as she gave him a seductive lick on his lips. **"So my leader, what are you waiting for… you've got three lovelies here, ready and willing… make us yours!"**

(Multi PoV)

David found himself getting exceptionally hot as not only his own girls, but now this third female, prepared to engage in his second night of sex as Leader of the Pack. He should have shown more restraint, not knowing if he might get them all pregnant, but right now the hormones running through him, the smell of Sophia's heat, and now the sound of Lucy pulling down his pants, just pushed any of those thoughts aside.

Instead he chose to simply enjoy the night and the pleasure he was about to experience, and helped Lucy remove his clothes while making out with Sophia like last time.

Upon revealing his member Natalia gasped in surprise. **"Oh my Leader… you're much better than Scar…"** She said in amazement. **"You aren't even ready… and you're that big?"**

" **That's what we found out."** Lucy said as she licked his member first. **"Tell you what Natalia… you can suck him first, and mate him first."**

" **I'm… honored."** She replied as she took David's member into her muzzle and began sucking him off, flicking her tongue around to please him.

David meanwhile was still busy tongue wrestling Sophia as she pressed her mouth to his and placed her paws on his shoulders, lifting her body up to reveal her dripping sex. Seeing it out of the corner of his eye, he decided to tease his Furfrou and began rubbing it with his hand, electing a moan of pleasure as he did. "Tell me, is my horny Furfrou enjoying my treatment?" He said as their mouths separated.

" **Oh merde… oui master, oui!"** She moaned. **"Please… don't stop…"**

He nodded and continued to rub her sex, while feeling his member being pleasured by Natalia's mouth as she expertly sucked him off. Lucy meanwhile was watching from the side, rubbing her own sex with her paw as she waited patiently for her turn.

After a few minutes of this lusty scene, he felt himself more than ready, and watched Natalia stop sucking him and lick his member tenderly. **"May I proceed to please you now leader?"** She asked.

"Yes you may." He said with a smirk while continuing to rub Sophia's sex.

Natalia used her front paws to pushed David onto his back before climbing onto his chest, positioning her rear legs over his member. Seeing what was happening, Sophia used what little control she had to pull away from the pair so that the Ninetales could have her human all to herself, and simply pleasured herself like Lucy to pass the time. **"You know leader… your quite the male compared to Scar."** She whispered happily as she lined her sex up with his member. **"I hope you find me satisfying."**

With that she pushed herself down on him, and enveloped his member in her very warm, tight, and wet folds. She moaned as she hilted him, feeling the tip of his member touching her cervix. Scar was never this big she thought, and he never felt this good inside of her, even when she was in heat. With him now inside her, she began to move up and down on his member, electing moans of pleasure from both as she felt her sex pleasing her new Leader.

David meanwhile was feeling absolutely blissful right now, unlike Lucy and Sophia, Natalia's sex was absolutely warm, much warmer than theirs had been. He assumed it was because she was a fire type, but this only enhanced the pleasure he felt every time she thrust her hips up and down.

As she continued to straddle him and please him, he felt himself wanting to take control of the pace, and so grabbed her hips and began forcing her to thrust at a faster pace. This caused her to moan even more as she felt herself submitting to her leader's dominance.

As he began to push her faster and faster, he felt a familiar pressure growing inside of his member, and knew that he was approaching his orgasm. "I'm… about to…" He gritted, pushing harder as he tried to withstand the pressure.

" **Inside of me… don't worry… I don't mind… if it's YOUR PUPS!"** She moaned as she thrust harder as well.

With that declaration he hilted himself as far as he could, and just as he did he groaned as his orgasm hit him hard at the same time as hers did. As she cried when she came her cervix opened up, allowing his member entrance to her womb and the resulting seed that began pooling up inside of her.

They held that pose for a few seconds before she collapsed on him, licking his cheek in gratitude. **"I hope… I was… good enough… to please you."** She whispered as she panted.

"Oh believe me… you were." He said as he pulled himself out of her, surprised to find that none of his seed leaked out of her when he did.

Seeing that he was still hard and ready, and knowing that he still had two females ready to go, he looked over at Lucy and Sophia who eagerly stared at him, before turning around and presenting themselves to him.

 _*Scar… if this is what you did so often… I can see why so many mothers were afraid of you.*_ He thought as he moved toward his two mates.

(Scar's PoV)

Scar couldn't sleep as he sat alone in his chamber, unable to shake the thought that his pack's new leader had just removed one of his laws, and it no doubt only served to make the human look like a better leader.

He admitted to himself, that law may not have been the best of his laws, but he didn't want any Prime Mate, he wanted one that he fancied. He also didn't want any male offspring that didn't come from his Prime Mate to take over the pack from him.

Now not only did no females even want to look at him, those females who were pregnant because of him growled threateningly each time he even walked near them. When he asked, he was simply told that he has no permission to be near any pup, egg or not an egg.

Out of habit he had made his way back to the living chambers by walking past the nursery. Instantly Gentaal, the Nursery Guardian told him to stay away from the nursery, threatening to shock him if he even took one step closer. Scar would have challenged him, if it weren't for the fact that he also declared, **"The Pack Leader decrees that any father who would order the death of his own pup, doesn't deserve the privilege to be near a pup."**

This just angered Scar even more, now not only was this Human in charge of the pack, but now he was turning the very same pack that Scar protected with his life against him.

Growling out of frustration, he got up and made his way to one of the Elders rooms, Kuma, to speak to him about perhaps convincing the Human to change his decree about him not being allowed anywhere near a pup.

After he entered the royal living quarters of the pack, reserved for the Pack Leader, the advisors, bodyguards, and of course the elders, he heard faint moans of pleasure coming from one of the rooms. As he took a sniff, he smelled that it was indeed the scent of sex and a female in heat.

Normally he would have jumped at the chance to mate a female in heat, but he knew where those moans and that scent was coming from, the Pack Leader's chamber.

" **That human… is abusing our females for his own pleasure!"** He growled angrily, wondering if he seduced the poor female into mating with him, just as he often did as leader. **"I spend a life time… warning them all of the dangers of humans… and my own pack… willingly lets this human mate our females? What is it going to take before they realize that they are sealing their own doom by letting him lead us?"**

Forgetting about talking to Kuma the elder, Scar turned and went back to his chamber, trying to drown out the moans of pleasure that now seemed to be pounding in his head, as well as trying to get rid of the picture of that human mating with however many females he has right now to create that diversity of moans.

=Author's Notes=

This chapter was re-uploaded due to an error.


	6. Chapter 6

_*Life and death, two sides of the same belief…*_

 _*But while you would have chosen life for them…*_

 _*They chose death to be with you.*_

=Chapter 6, Pack Delica=

(David's PoV)

"So who exactly is Terrance?" David asked as he, Lucy and Sophia walked to the underground lake chamber with the twins following behind them.

" **He's a Lapras who followed me to join this pack over a year ago."** Lucy said. **"Ever since he joined we've had no more water types intruding from the oceans, and we've been able to protect the water ways to ensure that nobody sneaks in that way. Thanks to his efforts, we haven't had any thieves sneaking in to steal from our winter reserves, as that chamber is only accessible by crossing the lake."**

" **So basically he's the tuteur de l'eau for the pack?"** Sophia asked. **"Cher moi, he sounds like a fine fellow to watch over the food."**

It was early in the morning that David had awoken with two very pleased semi tired Pokemon females on each side of him, as well as naked and underneath a blanket. Natalia was nowhere, and according to Lucy who was awake when he woke up, she had left at Lucy's request, as she was one of the Pokemon who protected the weaker foragers when they went out.

Sophia woke up afterwards and after determining who would use the bathroom first, proceeded to groom herself. According to her, after their rump last night, she was no longer suffering from her heat, and was thinking more clearly now. Though she said if David ever wanted another go, she was more than happy to provide.

Once they had cleaned themselves and relieved themselves using the awkward toilet in their chamber, they made their way to the lake chamber to talk to Terrance before David had to leave and meet with the leader of Pack Delica.

His advisors Yara and Nera both told him that as Leader, he should bring with him at least two members to join him in the trip to act as guards. However Lucy must remain to act as temporary leader until returned, so she could not join him, despite her wish to go with him to act as his protector.

With that in mind, he decided that Yara would go with him to act as both advisor and bodyguard, and Sophia would join as well to act as his guard, as well as to have someone to talk to. Nera would stay behind at his request and act as advisor and bodyguard to Lucy, should she decide to make any laws or decree.

Before they would leave however, he wanted to see this Terrance, another Pokemon that shared their apparent 'birthmarks' in their left eyes.

As they entered the lake chamber, David saw that it was indeed a chamber that consisted mostly of an underground lake. There was a small shore where Pokemon sat and either took short drinks before moving on, or were busy pulling small damaged sleds that were salvaged during the winter, laden with piles of berries.

Swimming in the middle of this lake was a Lapras, just as David pictured from what he read about. As it saw Lucy it noticed David and Sophia, and promptly swam over to meet them. **"Hi there Terrance, I brought our leader just as you asked."** Lucy said with a smile. **"David, this is Terrance, my friend and ally here in the pack. He kept an eye on Scar while I was away and did his best to keep him from coming after you when I wasn't around."**

David looked up into the gentle and caring eyes of the Lapras, and saw just what he was hoping to find. In his left eye where his iris and pupil were, was a faint X mark, just like his, Sophia's, and Lucy's. "Nice to meet you Terrance, my name is David, and as Lucy said I'm the leader of the Pack." He told the Lapras.

" **Nice to meet you David."** Terrance said gently, leaning forward and nuzzling his cheek with his cool face. **"I am glad to see you safe and sound, I hope Scar did not hurt you when he attacked you. I didn't see him slip past me with the twins, otherwise I swear I wouldn't have let him threaten you."**

"You act as if you have to protect my life Terrance, but you hardly even know me outside of what Lucy's told you, why is that?" He asked Terrance.

" **I don't know really, I just… feel as though… I have to."** He said, looking thoughtfully at David and the others. **"I see you too have a mark similar to mine and Lucy's. Why do you two have the same mark as we do?"**

" **I don't know, but we've had it ever since we were born."** Sophia said. **"Our parents don't have them, and I assume the same goes for you?"**

" **Yes…"** He replied with a nod. **"In any case, I am glad that you are safe and sound now David. Ever since I learned about you, I have had this strange urge to protect you, just as Lucy did when she found you as well. When we learned that Scar didn't like humans, we decided to stay in this pack instead of seeking you out to get you away. I can only travel in water, as you can see, so trying to get to you on land is quite a challenge."**

David, Sophia and Lucy all giggled at Terrance's poking fun at himself. "I see, but why are you so interested in me?" He asked. "I mean… before I became Pack Leader, I was just an ordinary human writing song lyrics for minimum wage and living alone in the woods with a Furfrou. Why do you guys all think I'm so important?"

At this Terrance stared intently at David, in particular staring into his left eye, as if trying to decide how best to answer that question. **"Tell me David… do you believe what your dreams whisper to you at night?"** He asked. **"I have found that listening to my dreams is important. Tell me, what are your dreams, Sophia… David?"**

"Our dreams… well, I suppose there's this one dream where I'm off traveling the Kalos region." He said, thinking of the only dreams he remembered half as clearly. "I'm traveling around, having fun, meeting friends and challenging Trainers. Sometimes I'm alone, sometimes I'm battling alongside friends, but in each one there's one thing I definitely remember… there are Pokemon with me in each dream."

" **A Furfrou… an Absol… and a Lapras?"** Terrance asked with a knowing smile. **"As well as other Pokemon that seem familiar, as if you knew them personally?"**

David was wide eyed as Terrance said exactly what he was thinking. He only had those dreams every so often, but he never could remember them all with absolute clarity, yet in each one he knew of the Pokemon in them, at least vaguely. He often pictured Sophia being in there, and after meeting Lucy, he thought he saw her as the Absol in them as well. He was familiar with all of them, but he couldn't remember the names of the Pokemon in his dreams exactly.

"How do you know?" He asked quietly.

Terrance nodded as he looked to see similar reactions to Lucy and Sophia. **"You two have these instincts, this drive to protect David, to find him wherever he is and keep him safe correct?"** He asked them, to which they nodded in unison.

" **Yes, when I was still with those mountain Absols, I felt as if I didn't belong there, and that I had to find something…"** Lucy said. **"Something precious to me, someone very dear to me, as if I couldn't be happy until I found that something, a human that was very important to me. When I found David living in that cabin, I felt as if I found it. When I found him, I felt this urge to protect him at any cost…"**

" **Well I felt nothing like that… not exactly."** Sophia said. **"I never had this drive to find David, though I always wanted to protect him from everything and anyone, bullies, teachers, that grouchy old lady across the street from our apartment."**

" **Protect him as if his life depended on it?"** He asked with a knowing smirk, which Sophia nodded, and then Lucy. **"I thought as much, you see since I'm stuck here doing nothing but keeping the occasional intruder out of our winter reserves, I have plenty of time to think about these things. One thing I saw were these marks we have in our eyes."** He said, blinking his left eye to indicate what he was talking about. **"I see your marks now, and I feel a sense that I know you. I don't understand it completely but I feel like I've known you my entire life. Also, it's quite an odd coincidence that we all have these marks without any family that we share them with. I think these marks connect us in some way, it is odd that we all share them after all."**

"If that's true… then why do we have them?" He asked the Lapras.

" **I wouldn't know David, but now that I know where you are, and more importantly that your safe, I no longer feel those urges from before."** He replied. **"For years I was with a pod David, I had a mate, young of my own, and I deeply cared for all of them. Yet for some reason… I was unhappy, extremely unhappy. As if I had to find someone out there important to me, more important than even my family, my pod, everything. I needed to find a human… more importantly the human, a trainer from my dreams."** He looked at David closely before smiling warmly. **"I found that human, the moment I saw you minutes ago, I realized that my search was over. Before I only had Lucy's words to go on, but when she described you, I felt that I knew who you were."**

"How do you know all of this… you barely know me personally?" David asked. "You only met me today, but you're acting as if you've known me your whole life."

Terrance smiled and nodded in understanding. **"I know, but for some reason, I know you."** He said softly. **"I just know you David Élan Vital, I know you as if you were in my life since I was born, and I know that no matter how strange it may sound I am your eternal friend. I trust you implicitly with this knowledge, just as I trust Lucy and Sophia with it."**

"Well… it's nice to know that you're my friend… but how do we have these marks?" He asked, but before Terrance could reply they were interrupted by Yara.

" **Leader, as much as this conversation seems important, we should be leaving very soon for Pack Delica."** He said sternly. **"I understand that this may be important, but as leader you must put the concerns of the pack before such silliness."**

" **Silliness, listen here you feline, if our leader wants to figure out why we all have these marks he may very well do as he wishes!"** Sophia barked angrily. **"Why I oughta give you a piece of my mind right here and now!"**

"No, Yara makes a point, we really should be going." He said politely. "Terrance, I thank you for thinking so deeply on this, I honestly want to know more about this but I can't spare the time to do so. Can I trust you to keep everyone here safe while I'm away?"

Terrance nodded with a warm smile **"I have nothing else to do here David, take care on your trip. Sophia, Yara, keep David safe for me and Lucy."**

" **Bien sûr, as if I'd do anything else."** Sophia yipped.

" **It is my duty Water Guardian."** Yara replied.

Lucy stood on her rear legs to kiss David on the lips, adding a bit of tongue before she got back on all four to stare at him lovingly. **"Be safe David, I'll be here waiting for you every minute."** She said sweetly. **"And don't worry about the pack, if anything is out of line, Nera will help me straighten it back up."** Nera nodded in respect to him as Lucy mentioned her.

"Then in that case, I best be going, I wouldn't want to keep my Prime Mate waiting forever for my return." David said with a smirk.

Lucy grinned and winked at him before he left. **"When you return, I'll have something 'special' planned for you love."**

As he turned to leave he heard Lucy's suggestive statement, and perverted images flashed in his imagination, causing him to blush a deep red as he led the way to the den entrance, followed by Yara and Sophia.

(Lucy's PoV)

Lucy watched her beloved human leaving, and felt a sense of sadness as she longed to be with him as well. This was only her second day of being David's Prime Mate, yet she was in absolute heaven when she thought about her life so far. Here she was, standing in her pack as its Prime Mate to its leader, a Human. She had dreamed of living with David, mating with him, perhaps even getting pregnant with his help, yet now they were reality.

Well, at least some of her dreams anyway.

She wanted to spend every day she could with him, but no, now that she was his Prime Mate, all she could do was carry out her duties and make sure the pack got on as it did. She considered Sophia to be lucky, she could sleep in with their David, while she had to wake up and instruct who would be on what duty.

She sighed and left the lake chamber behind, followed by Nera as she carried out her duties under David's instructions, acting as Lucy's guard and advisor. **"Nera, I'm unfamiliar with certain roles as Prime Mate."** She said as they walked. **"Am I required to talk to every member of the pack to give them their duties for the day?"**

Nera shook her head. **"No Prime Mate, normally you could instruct a lesser member to have certain orders carried out."** She replied. **"However that was normally your job, in fact I am surprised you continue to carry it out."**

" **I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment, as a human saying goes."** She replied with a chuckle.

As she walked she talked to various members of the pack, informing them of what needed to be done, assigning additional members to protect their foragers, and increasing their numbers as David asked her to do yesterday. Once that was done she went and grabbed a few berries for herself to eat from the previous day's foraging, and allowed Nera to eat as well.

While they ate she noticed out of the corner of her eye, a certain figure walking ever slowly toward them, and she recognized it as none other than previous leader Scar.

She wasn't as intimidated by him as he was when he was leader, but even so, he was still frightening to her. Yet with David safe and sound and away from the Houndoom, she didn't need to care about whatever retribution he might try. She may not demonstrate it often, but her ferocity in a fight is what got Scar interested in her, along with the fact that she was an Absol.

" **What do you want Scar?"** She said when Scar was close enough.

" **To ask why the human decreed that I am forbidden anywhere near the nursery, or even any pup."** He growled angrily.

" **Oh I don't know Scar, perhaps because you frightened three mothers into thinking David would kill their pups, because you sired male ones with them?"** Lucy replied coldly. **"I cannot begin to fathom why anyone would make such a decree baring you from the nursery. After all, if it were my pup, I'd have done what those mothers did, and begged our leader to spare them!"** Scar refused to comment on that and merely stared angrily at her as she finished her meal. **"In any case, why are you here, I told you to go and guard the foragers?"**

" **Two days ago you were weeping and begging me to spare your pathetic human, now suddenly you act all high and mighty since you traitors let him take control!"** He growled back, showing his fangs in frustration. **"I've spent years warning you about the dangers of humans, and yet none of you heed it when a human tries to take over! You let him walk in here, make laws at a whim, and none of you try to stop him!"** He glared at Lucy dangerously, as if he were just thoughts away from lunging at her. **"And you Lucy… you're the worst traitor to all of the pack, betraying us at a moment's notice and risking our pack by spending time and telling that human about us. Then when he takes over, you whore yourself out to him without a moment's hesitation!"**

Lucy smiled as Nera finished her meal, remaining neutral throughout the entire conversation. She admired the Meowstic's dedication to her duty, ignoring making any comments about it while absorbing everything should Lucy request her assistance. Just like a true advisor.

" **Well Scar, he's our leader, and our pack acknowledges him as it."** She said with a smirk, before thinking of something that would definitely anger the Houndoom. **"Besides, we have you to thank for making him leader, and through you, I owe you my gratitude as well."**

In confusion as well as suppressed anger, Scar only growled his reply. **"How is it thanks to me?"**

Lucy smiled as she stood up and signaled Nera that they were leaving. **"Because Scar, if it weren't for your paranoia about David threatening our pack, and attacking him all by yourself, we wouldn't have our human leader in the first place."** She said smugly. **"Also without your help, I wouldn't have become his Prime Mate. And of course…"** She whispered as she moved to walk past him. **"I would have been a virgin for the rest of my life, because I would rather die than let you or another male besides David ever touch me. So thank you Scar, because of you, I finally mated after suffering through thirty two seasons of heat, with nothing but my paw for comfort."**

Scar's response was to growl threateningly at her, glaring as flames began to tickle his fangs. Lucy responded just as swiftly by extending her claws on her paw and turning to face him with a serious expression. **"Don't even try it Scar, we both know you wouldn't last a minute against me."** She said calmly. **"That's why you had to have the twins restrain me, because otherwise I would have fought back. Now do as I ordered and get to your foragers, they can't go out until you join them, and you wouldn't want our pack to starve because you wouldn't listen to my instructions now do you?"**

She laughed inwardly as she walked away from Scar, leaving the previous Alpha Male to grit his teeth in frustration at being ordered around and unable to fight back.

=Night Time, later that day=

(David's PoV)

"So tomorrow morning we'll be in Pack Delica's territory." He said to Yara as they sat in a cave near Route 6 with a small fire to warm them. "I'm impressed that this pack has remained completely, hidden despite being near a huge route that tourists traverse daily."

They were currently camped in a cave on the left side of a path that connected to Parfum Palace, a few Trainers attempted to battle him, but after explaining that he wasn't a Trainer and the Pokemon at his side were merely 'pets' he managed to avoid any awkward situations. It had taken him, Yara and Sophia all day to travel from their den entrance near Route 7, to where he normally would go to his cabbin on Route 6, to the field next to the pathway for Parfum Palace.

He was also surprised by how large the territories were for each pack, according to Yara, Pack Delica controlled the fields to the left and right of this path to Parfum Palace, all the way up to the front yard of the palace. Where their territory ended was about twelve yards from where his Cabin was, which is where his own pack's territory was.

Yara explained that they defined territory according to how strong a pack was in terms of how many Pokemon were in it. Pack Delica's territory was larger than his own because it had roughly four hundred members in it, and had a den similarly constructed to theirs. In fact it was even better constructed because it had been built using the palace itself as a blueprint. The pack even smuggled supplies from the palace to aid the pack's den during difficult times.

" **Yes leader, from what I know of them, Pack Delica constructed their den using that massive building as a model."** He said. **"They have access to an Onix living underground in secrecy, and with its help, constructed an even larger den than what our pack could achieve. Their territory is very large and they easily defend it because they disguise their multiple hidden entrances throughout the tall grass. Humans cannot see them because of this, and so they act as perfect ambushes for both Pokemon and Humans who venture too far from the path."**

"I swear, there are scientists who would give their left arm to know everything that I know about you and your packs." He said in amazement while Sophia laid her head in his lap. "I used to think that you Pokemon were smart, but never did I imagine you were capable of stuff like this."

" **We are only able to thanks to humans."** Yara said. **"The Onix that lives in Pack Delica's territory was owned by a human who worked construction, and he retained all of that knowledge when his human died in an accident. He honored his master's legacy by applying everything he knew about construction to help create the various catacombs and tunnels deep underground. He even helped them siphon some electricity from the massive building he and his master worked on, to light up the den's vast underground tunnels. They even have access to the sewer system that the mansion uses."**

"Amazing, simply amazing." He whispered to himself. "I wonder how many Pokemon of Pack Delica are watching us right now."

" **Probably a few, ever since we arrived they've been monitoring us."**

This was true, after they crossed the border into Pack Delica territory, they were instantly confronted by a group of five Pokemon which consisted of Sentrets, Meowstics, and one Grwolithe. After declaring that he was from Pack David, and the Pack Leader, replacing Scar, he said that he was here to speak with the leader of Pack Delica. They allowed him to pass but warned him that he would be monitored constantly while in their territory.

So they had walked mostly unhindered since then, but always aware that they were being watched. "Well I guess we should get some sleep, we have to go meet with their leader in the morning."

" **Very well Leader, I'll go into the back of the cave so you and your mate for the night may have privacy."** He said, stretching and walking toward the back of the cave.

"Mate for the night huh?" He asked Sophia when Yara was out of hearing. "Why does he refer to you as my 'Mate for the Night'?"

Sophia grinned at him as she continued to let David stroke her fur. **"I don't know, do you want me to mate you for tonight?"** She asked seductively.

"Sophia please, who knows who might be watching out there." He said with a blush.

" **Let em watch darling."** She whispered, using one of her paws to pull the zipper of his pants down. **"You know, I watched what Lucy and Natalia did for you, and I've been wanting to try that myself…"** She whispered with a grin as she exposed his member. **"How about this love, let me do this one thing, then we can sleep?"**

"Alright, but I get to have my own fun while you do that." He said with a smirk as he moved his hand under her and up against her own sex, which was starting to get damp from her arousal.

" **Anything for you, master."** She whispered as she beamed at his member, before opening her mouth and proceeding to wrap her warm, wet tongue around it. **"Mmm… it tastes… salty… but good… I like it… and it has your scent. Which I've definitely come to like over the years."**

While Sophia worked his member he rubbed her sex with his hands, liking the moans she gave off every time he caressed it. As his fingers became wetter with her fluids he two of his fingers inside of her sex, eliciting an even greater moan of pleasure while she continued to give him her own blowjob.

After a few minutes he began to feel pressure building up in his groin, began to thrust slightly into Sophia's mouth in reaction to her bobbing up and down on his member. When she noticed this she stopped and looked at him with a smirk. **"How's my mouth darling."** She asked with a grin.

"It's like a bit of paradise to me." He moaned, picking her up and maneuvering her sex over his member with a grin. "But I think I prefer to taste your mouth with my own lips."

" **Oh, so bold!"** She yipped happily. **"Naughty master, taking advantage of your beau chien and mating her. Whatever happened to whoever might be watching us?"**

"Let them watch, like you said." He whispered with a grin before entering her, causing them both to sigh in pleasure as they felt themselves go straight into the act. "You are so tight… it's like you're a virgin still…"

" **I'm… not a AH… virgin darling…"** She yipped as he pounded into her. **"You are just so AH… bi~g."**

She was indeed tight around him, even after mating with her twice over the course of two nights, she still was wonderfully tight, but now her sex was used to his size, and it only made him feel even more pleasure.

Unfortunately their earlier antics of pleasuring each other meant they were both about to reach their orgasms, and after several more thrusts, he hilted himself as far as he could and came inside her, just as she coated his member with her own fluids. They silenced each other's moans with a deep and passionate kiss. After they calmed down from their highs, they looked at each other and smiled lovingly at one another.

"Sophia, when did I fall in love with you and Lucy?" He asked his Furfrou, wondering just when they became lovers so easily.

" **I don't know darling… but I do know this."** She said with a smile. **"Lucy may have loved you before I admitted it, but I've loved you since before I can remember."** She kissed him on his lips again, showing her submissiveness and letting him push into her mouth where their tongues danced.

As he pulled her off of him, some of their juices trailed from her member and fell onto the cave floor. **"Look at how full I am, such a naughty maître."** Sophia yipped as he zipped up his pants and she curled up in his lap for bed. **"Three times you've given me your seed. Aren't you even slightly concerned that I'll get pregnant mon amour?"**

"I don't think I'd mind if you did." He whispered to her, scratching her fur softly, enjoying how warm she was to him. "I've always fantasized about being a father, why do you not want to be a mother? I'll stop doing that if you don't want to risk it."

Sophia chuckled before licking him on the cheek. **"Darling… if you're the father… I'll be the mother any day."** She whispered, before they both fell asleep, exhausted from their 'activity'.

=The Next Morning=

They woke up early next morning and left the cave toward the main entrance of Pack Delica, guided by Yara. Yara said that he visited pack Delica because Scar visited it to negotiate dealings with them, so he knew where the entrance was.

It took them a good hour to reach the entrance to the den, but when they did, they easily saw how it was so well concealed. The pack had covered the main entrance with a single large rock, and disguised it among a large collection of rocks surrounding it so that it wouldn't look out of place in the field surrounded by tall grass.

"Well, is there something we're supposed to do?" He asked Yara. "Like knock or something? It seems a bit rude to just walk right in."

" **Don't worry leader, they are already well aware of our approach."** Yara said as his ears moved to allow him to use his psychic powers. **"No doubt their leader is waiting for us in their main den."**

At that Yara pushed the rock aside and revealed a hollowed out entrance with a fake door to dissuade passersby who actually pulled off the rock by chance. With the entrance opened they walked down into the tunnel and into Pack Delica's den.

"Wow… you were right, they really knew how to make this den." David whispered as he admired how smoothly carved the tunnels were as they walked deeper.

The tunnels were wide on all sides, allowing enough room for a Pokemon at least twenty feet tall and just as wide to stand comfortably. Along the cave walls were strings of electric lights to allow visibility deep inside, and all of the lights looked like they had been replaced recently. There were even small signs written in some kind of code, obviously to deter intruders from understanding where anything was, but so that the locals knew where each tunnel led where.

"How do they find their way?" He asked Yara.

" **I'm not too sure myself, but I guess they rely on these signs to point where everything was."** Yara replied as a group of Sentrets ran down one side tunnel in front of them, alongside them momentarily, and then down another to their left. **"In any case, this way is to the main meeting chamber, where Delica will no doubt meet you."**

Ten minutes of walking and their group found themselves enter a vast cavern, at least twice the size and carved with even more skill and care than the tunnels had been. It had multiple strings of yellow lights strung around the walls and hanging from the ceiling so that the room was well lit, there were even carpets here and there so that members of the pack could sit comfortably without having to dirty their fur.

Around the room were at least a hundred if not more Pokemon of various types and species, all of whom watching him and talking animatedly to one another. Looking ahead David saw two Pokemon at the exact center of the room, sitting and waiting patiently for him and his group to arrive.

The two Pokemon were apparently the Pack Leader and Prime Mate, one of them was a female Delcatty, sitting on a pillow and cleaning her paw of dirt as she watched David's group approaching. The second was a male Liepard, watching his group with a confident stare as he eyed David in particular. As the two made eye contact the Liepard smirked, before he proceeded to groom the Delcatty's fur.

In front of them was another pillow and two small blankets, evidently where they were to sit, which they did. **"Be seated!"** The Liepard yelled with a deep purr, and all Pokemon present sat down.

There was silence as David waited for the Pack Leader to speak up, but the Liepard merely sat down and stared at him with a piercing gaze. Finally after about five minutes of patiently waiting he was about to speak, when the Delcatty stopped her grooming and spoke. **"Well I'll admit this leader of Pack David, you have more patience then Scar did."** She said warmly. **"I am Delica, Pack Leader Delica, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. This is my Prime Mate, Purrson."**

"You're the Pack Leader?" He asked incredibly, wondering how this 'Princess like' Delcatty, who seemed more like a pampered flower, is the leader of a Pokemon Pack.

" **I take it your surprised."** She said with a giggle. **"Scar was just as surprised when he first met me, I believe in private he said I'm more fit for breeding than leading."**

"I see there is much to be a leader than simply being strong?" He asked.

" **Of course, I am leader because I inherited it from my mother, but not after proving myself through many tests, though I shall not bore you with the details."** She replied with a grin, before getting up and walking delicately toward him. **"Frankly I'm surprised that you look surprised to see a delicate Pokemon like myself in charge, when you are a human in charge of a pack of Pokemon. That is even more of a surprise."**

"Scar attacked me one on one, attempted to kill me and was planning to rape a good friend of mine, who later became my Prime Mate." He explained. "I was left with no choice, not if I wanted to save my life and her as well."

" **Ah… the heroic type, a fine male you are."** She said with a smile. **"Now that the pleasantries are finished, down to business. Tell me, why is the new leader of Pack David, here addressing me?"**

David thought quickly about everything he had come here to ask about, before taking a deep breath and speaking them. "A few days ago one of your patrols attempted to enter our territory." He said. "I came here to find out why this happened."

Delica nodded in understanding and glared at a Pokemon to David's right. **"Yes, well I can explain that. You see the patrol was one of our foraging groups, we've had some difficult times these recent months. We suffered some losses in the form of our berry trees with those blasted Nincadas that Pack Scar drove here when they cleared out their own foraging areas of the pests. That patrol was made up of newer members, unfamiliar with the borders and thus wandered into your territory. I assure you, they were not there to provoke a fight."**

"I hope so, I don't want one of my first acts as Leader to be that of dealing with an inter pack war." He said calmly.

" **Nor do I want to deal with it."** She said with a serious expression. **"You see, my pack is very large, but we have our own enemies to deal with north of us. I'd rather not have to divide my warriors along two borders when they are already stretched thin as is protecting our foragers. Rest assured, the patrol that did that has been punished, and I will insure that it never happens again."**

"Thank you very much Pack Leader Delica." David said.

" **You are quite welcomed Pack Leader David…"** She started saying, before her focus shifted to his left eye. **"May I ask you a question?"**

"Obviously you just did, but yes you may ask another question." He said with a chuckle.

" **The joking type as well, my you are already a better leader than Scar."** She said with a chuckle of her own. **"No, my question is this, where did you get that mark on your left eye?"**

"I've had it since I was born, as does Sophia my Furfrou, and two others in my pack, Lucy my Prime Mate, and Terrance a Lapras." He said. "Why do you ask?"

" **Because a week ago, my pack became home to two 'tamed' Pokemon, a Lucario with a shiny stone necklace, and a Braixen."** She said. **"Both of them had the same marks in their left eyes as well, and I was curious if you knew anything about this mark, as they never could explain why they have them. Just that they were searching for something, and asked for sanctuary until they could find whoever it was they were looking for."**

"They were searching for someone?" He said, remembering Terrance's words from before.

" **Yes, they explicitly stated that they were searching for 'someone', they didn't know who but they said it was a human, like a Trainer."** Purrson said with a deep purr in his voice. **"They asked to remain here while they observe the many humans traveling through our territory, hoping to perhaps see their human. They've been with us for a week so far."**

"Looking for someone huh, that sounds very familiar." He said to Sophia, who nodded in agreement. "So I'm guessing you want me to talk to them?"

" **If you'd be willing to stay the night Pack Leader David."** Delica said politely. **"I wouldn't want to send our neighboring pack's leader back so soon after he walked all this way to visit. So my Prime Mate will guide you to your room to rest and relax. I'll have the two Pokemon I spoke of earlier be sent to your room later on, after they return from their patrol."**

"Thank you very much." He said politely, thanking the Delcatty and getting up.

" **If you'll follow me David."** Purrson said. **"Dismissed!"**

At that command all of the Pokemon present began to diverse and separate into groups, leaving out of their main hall and going wherever they were supposed to go. Taking Purrson's invitation, he, Sophia and Yara followed him down one tunnel while Delica left down another. **"Tell me Pack Leader David, would you like me to arrange some 'entertainment' for you tonight?"** Pursson asked in his accent.

"Uh, what do you mean by 'entertainment'?" He asked, though he had a suspicion he knew what it was.

" **Why mating females of course."** He said with a hearty chuckle. **"Scar, the previous Leader of your pack, often required such entertainment when negotiating with him. My mate disapproves the idea of asking our females to stoop to such actions, for he wasn't exactly the kindest to deal with. However it was necessary to keep him happy and ensure our packs never fought one another. I'd heard a human was the new Pack Leader of our neighbor to our East, and was planning to arrange a few females that might suit your taste."** He eyed David with a smirk as he continued his explanation. **"However I decided to wait and see what you wanted, as I didn't know what kind of leader you were like."**

"I… appreciate the offer… but I'll decline." He said with a blush, wondering when he got so used to the idea of mating so easily. "You see I prefer to mate with those I'm familiar with, like my Prime Mate, it's a loyalty thing, and it would seem like I'm taking advantage of my position as Pack Leader if I forced myself upon a female if she may or may not want me."

" **I'm certain a few of my pack's females would be relieved to hear of your restraint."** He said with a sigh of relief. **"Scar, your pack's previous leader, was not so restraining. I remember this one time where he requested at least two of my pack's females, both of them 'inexperienced' and unfamiliar with the ways of mating. It was not a nice day for me…"**

"I can definitely understand that." He replied. "Scar is clearly not well favored among your pack I take it?"

" **He forced my pack to carry seventeen of his bastard offspring, and he refused to take responsibility or even to visit the mothers and apologize."** He growled. **"Needless to say, I had to show much restraint every time he visited and I had to find females to 'entertain' him. Despite our desire to not show him such courtesy, it was necessary for our packs to remain on good terms. But alas for the females forced to bear his offspring, I could only offer my sorrow and beg for forgiveness at requesting them to go through with the act."**

As they turned down another tunnel, which clearly looked like living conditions as each opening had makeshift doors and even shabby 'welcome' mats, he asked yet another question that was poking at him since Purrson brought it up. "Do you always 'entertain' foreign Pack Leaders who visit you?"

" **Why yes, it's something we've always done."** He replied.

" **Sounds like rape if you ask me David."** Sophia barked behind him. **"Forcing females into mating against their will, I would sooner die than let any male besides David touch me."**

"Yea, why do you do it if your female members disapprove of it?"

" **Believe it or not, it is the best way to ensure good relations and steady negotiations between Pack Leaders."** He said politely. **"Our females are aware of why we do it, we always ask for volunteers when we prepare a Pack Leader's 'entertainment'. But it was only ever Scar who angered our pack as a whole so very much, other leaders, especially from your pack, at least showed some compassion or regret. We even had one leader from your pack, many generations ago, who sired an offspring with a female among us."** He smiled as he glanced at Sophia who tilted her head in confusion. **"When he learned of what he did, he immediately returned to our pack, and offered to make her his Second Prime Mate, saying that what he did was unwanted and didn't want to simply throw her away. She accepted, and together they forged a great friendship between our packs that many of our elders remember to this day. This female was a Furfrou, named Jen."**

"Jen, you mean Elder Jen?" He asked in amazement. "How long ago was this?"

" **She was barely three, the youngest a Furfrou can be and safely mate. We are lucky she did not lose the egg in birth, as she was also small for her size. That affection is why we call you friends and respect your territory as we do. If my memory is right, she should be in her very late sixties by human years. I am glad to know she still lives, I am sad though that she outlived her beloved Leader. She grew very close to him, and the elders who still remember her speak fondly of how she spoke of her mate. Alas the leader after all but destroyed such friendships we had with your Pack, as not only did he all but sever ties with us, but even killed the sired offspring she had."**

"Oh… poor Jen." He whispered sadly. "Do you know why he did what he did?"

" **Alas no, the next time we ever heard a word from your pack, was when Scar was leader, and which brings us to you now."** He replied as he stopped next to a door. **"I am glad though, that at least we have a chance to rekindle our ties. Here are your rooms, advisors are forbidden from sharing a room with the Pack Leader, as well as guards. Your rooms are across from his."**

"Sophia's not just my guard, she's also my second mate, so she stays with me." David said.

" **Very well, that is acceptable."** Purrson said as he led Yara to another room, while Sophia walked with him inside their new room.

(Multi POV)

" **Well this is nice David."** Sophia barked as they saw there was a pile of blankets in a makeshift bed. **"This pack is far more civilized than our own, we even have a proper bed here."**

"Sophia!" He said.

" **What I'm only saying what I'm thinking!"** She replied with a snort.

"That's why I'm saying stop it." He replied as he sat down on the bed. "What do you think about these two Pokemon, the ones with marks like ours?"

" **Hard to say love."** She replied, walking over and lying next to him. **"If they are like us, will they be like the others and want to join us?"**

"Perhaps it's for the best, it's as Terrance said, we have these marks for a reason, and we need to learn why we have them, why they bind us together as he described."

Sophia nodded and rolled onto his chest, before leaning forward and planting another kiss on his lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth to invite his own tongue to dance with hers. As if they were silently in agreement, they both started to please one another as best they could. Almost as if on cue, Sophia used her rear legs to massage his increasingly hardening member to full readiness, while he massaged her sex and the back of her neck.

Her tail started wagging furiously as she felt him flip her over while using one hand to unzip his pants and pull out his member, lining it up with her now dripping sex. All the while still kissing and dancing with each other's mouths. As they broke for air he saw the grin on her mouth and the gleam in her eyes. "When did this become so natural for us Sophie?" He asked as he lined up his member and pressed it into her waiting and wanting sex. "It's as if a few days ago we're abstinent toward each other like an engaged couple, and now we can't keep our hands or paws off one another."

" **I don't kn-AH!"** She started saying before he began thrusting in and out of her. **"But…you AHH… can't sa-Ah… its bad can you?"**

Knowing they had plenty of time as well as Privacy, they took their time to enjoy their lovemaking smiling at each other as they did and reveling in the pleasure they both received from the other. She was tight, warm and tight around his member because of her body type and size, and he absolutely loved the feeling of how tight her passage was. He still could not believe that he had not only gotten used to Sophia as his lover, but also found her absolutely attractive, as if no other Pokemon could match her beauty, even Lucy who he also admitted to himself was beautiful to him now.

As they continued to pant and moan from making love to one another, Sophia leaned forward and kissed him again. Sophia lavished her tongue against her human master, loving how he felt against her fur, how much his touch kindled her heart and how his kiss made her feel absolutely loved. She didn't know if it were possible to get pregnant, something she once read about while he was studying Pokemon biology said it was impossible for her body type to reproduce with a human. But that didn't matter one bit to her, she would take his seed however many times she could, however long it would take, she would wait for that miracle to happen.

She would have an egg, and by Arceus she wanted David to be the father of that egg!

As they separated again while David continued to thrust at his steady pace, he and Sophia once again smiled happily at each other. "When did my lifelong friend become my lover?" He asked her as held her body as close to his as he could, all the while still thrusting at that pace. "When did you evolve from that delicate poodle into the sexy lover I'm staring at right now? Where did that Sophia go I wonder?"

" **Oh darling…"** She whispered, pushing her lips against his and wrapping her rear legs around him as best she could. **"I'm still… here… AH… I'm still AH…!"**

Knowing she liked it rough, he began to speed up and thrust even harder, and sure enough she became lost in lust and pleasure, watching as her eyes rolled up and her tongue began hanging out. At his change of pace her passage became even tighter, massaging every inch of it as if trying to keep him from moving, wanting to enjoy his member for as long as it could.

" **OH YES, FUCK ME MAÎTRE DAVID!"** She screamed at him, now trying to thrust back to enhance her own pleasure. **"That's it, fuck me and make me yours!"** She leaned her head back against their blanket and panted heavily as her orgasmed approached. **"Oui Maître, like that! Fuck me like the chien salope that I am. Harder, harder, HARDER!"**

Pushed by her language he thrust as hard as he could before he felt both of their orgasms hit them. He hilted as far as he could, reaching the side of her womb before he came inside of her, and she came all over his member. They held their poses, waiting for their orgasms to die down before they did anything else, reveling in the pleasure they just partook in, both panting heavily at how rough they had been.

Sophia's mouth wide with a smile as her tongue hung out, and a deep blush on her face as she panted heavily, her legs stiff as a board and rear legs numb from the pounding the endured.

As they both came down from their highs he pulled the blanket over them and covered them up, deciding to rest while they waited for these two Pokemon to show up and meet them.

They looked at each other and Sophia said the only words that came to mind. **"Master… sorry."** She whispered sadly. **"I spent all those years practicing to avoid becoming a whore… and now here I am… doing what whores do. Mating on a whim when I get the chance."**

"You're not a whore Sophia." He whispered, pulling her closer for a kiss. "A whore doesn't care who she mates, you only let me touch you. You're faithful to me and only me, just like how a Prime Mate should be in my opinion."

" **Prime Mate?"** Sophia whispered. **"But Lucy is Prime Mate…"**

"Yes she is, but what Purrson said earlier made me think." He said with a grin. "How would you like to become my second Prime Mate?"

Her eyes teared up as she heard his request, and nuzzled his face lovingly. **"Yes… Maître David… yes my leader… I'll become your Second Prime Mate!"**


	7. Author's Note

Author's Notes

Hello everyone, for those of you who like this fic, (no I'm not deleting it, don't worry) I would like to say thank you.

On that note, if any of you are also authors of fictions, I'm noticing a strange glitch… for some reason my fics are no longer registering views, I count 3 reviews for one chapter of this particular one, but it says it has 0 views.

Does anyone have an answer to this strange phenomena?

 **No idea boss, but hey viewers, don't let that dissuade you from reviewing. Tell my boss what a masterpiece he's written!**

Oh Anasi, stop breaking the forth wall and being here when you're not supposed to be. Pokemon is my thing, Ponies are yours, that's how it goes!

 **Oh boss, you have all these hot moments, why don't you include little old me?**

Because your already seductive enough

 **You made me boss, but hey, to our wonderful audience out there, tell us, do you wanna see our little David with a Pokemon, or even group of Pokemon.**

 **Ya'll got your chance with Lucy's 'surprise', pm the boss or leave a review with who or what you'd like to see our boy David… how shall we put it… 'Dance the dance' with?**

"You heard her, but also if anyone knows about that 0 view thing, please tell me in a pm. It's rather confusing… seriously.


	8. Chapter 7

_*True friendship lasts longer than forever…*_

 _*True friendship is stronger than immortality…*_

 _*You taught me a true friend, never gives up believing in you.*_

=Chapter 7, The Journey of Lancelot and Karen=

(David's PoV)

David sat with Sophia cuddled under the blanket, simply enjoying their time together as Pack Leader and Second Prime Mate. He knew he would have to explain to the pack when he got back, but that was something he could easily just turn into a decree. He was sure Lucy would feel some jealousy, but no doubt she would understand their relationship, seeing as she lived with him her entire life. Once he explained that she was the Second Prime Mate, and would not threaten Lucy's position at all, she would no doubt accept his choice.

Besides as he thought about the decision to himself, it wasn't like Lucy could or would complain, considering she constantly egged Sophia to join her in mating with him. In fact she would probably accept it easily, seeing as it meant another reason for him to have sex with the two of them.

As for him and Sophia at the moment, well the fact that she and him had their mouths on one another and trying to see how long they could hold their breaths before separating, while having a wrestling contest with their tongues, spoke for them. They were simply reveling in their happiness at being together, without having to worry about everything outside or what others would think about them.

As they separated again for the twelfth time, Sophia smiled gently at him, staring lovingly into his eyes as she showed her absolute trust and devotion to him. **"You know darling… normally it's the Pokemon that has to protect the Trainer and make them feel safe."** She said quietly, leaning her head in and tucking it underneath his chin. **"Yet when I sit here, with your arms around me… I feel absolutely protected. As if nothing in the world could ever hurt me."**

"I'm glad I could make my lifelong friend feel that way." He said, scratching her behind her ears like he used to when they still lived in their cabin. "You know… I wonder how everyone back in Lumiose would feel about us, you, me and Lucy. All of us together in this relationship."

" **Probably like other people would, some happy, some confused, others angry."** She replied with a sigh. **"Our relationship is a bit of an oddity. One human, two female Pokemon, all of us in love with. Well you loving us and us loving you… anyway. I don't 'love' Lucy, she's like a sister or a friend, but if you love her than I don't mind sharing you with her."**

At that moment David's stomach growled loudly, and they both stared at each other in embarrassment. "I think I am hungry Sophia." He replied.

" **I don't blame you darling, with how 'strong' you are, it's understandable."** She said with a chuckle. **"Well, you go and find something for us to eat, I'll stay right here."**

"You just want to be lazy." He taunted as he got up to leave.

" **Considering my womb is full with your seed, my rear legs are still numb, and you can fuck me whenever you want, I think that's a fair trade."** She taunted back, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Point made, I'll be back." He replied with a chuckle, leaving their room to find out where he could get some berries to eat.

(Karen's PoV)

" **So what does the Queen of Interruptions want with us this time?"** Karen barked loudly as they walked down the main corridor to the main hall, where guest Pack Leaders were received and where the pack held meetings.

" **Karen, is that absolutely necessary?"** Lancelot asked politely behind her. **"We are staying here out of the kindness of this pack, we should at least respectfully call our Pack Leader by her name."**

Karen ignored the Lucario and continued to walk in frustration. **"We've been trying to find our human for seven years Lancelot, seven! We've traveled across half of Kalos, running from city to city to try and find him, do you know how many trainers were in that group of tourists? Thirty in one group, we might have found him in that group!"** She looked back into the Lucario's eyes and glared at him, staring into the eye with the X mark just like hers. **"Did you sense anything familiar from their auras, anything similar to yours?"**

He shook his head and frowned in frustration as well. **"No, I didn't have enough time to accurately read their auras."** He sighed. **"We got called away too soon before I could."**

" **Ugh!"** She growled, stomping angrily. **"We finally have a chance to check a huge group of trainers at once, and we get called away before we do! This had better be worth it or I swear someone's going to get their fur singed!"**

She was quite angry and frustrated at Delica for having the guts to call them away, knowing they were looking for someone important to them.

In exchange for housing them they would protect their territory and members from both Trainers and intruding Pokemon. That was their deal with Pack Delica. Yet while on watch, a Sentret sentry bursts up from behind and tells them Pack Leader Delica wanted them back at the den, something about meeting a visiting Pack Leader.

By the time she and Lancelot turned back to the group of Trainers, they had gone out of range to visit the Parfum Palace. In anger, Karen almost burned the Sentret sent to get them, but fortunately Lancelot 'accidentally' stepped in the way and got burned instead.

She was apologetic, but he didn't care, he never did care about getting burned by her. All he wanted was to find their true Trainer, their true master, if that meant getting burned by Karen occasionally he didn't mind. Besides, he knew she was just venting her frustration, and it was better he get burned than risking the pack banishing them or turning against them.

" **Perhaps this Pack Leader has something important to tell us."** He suggested hopefully.

" **Yea, and he's probably got a mark just like ours."** She snapped back as they approached a fork in the tunnels. **"All I know is that I'm hungry, I'm going to get a bite to eat before we go and meet this Pack Leader."**

" **In that case I'll accompany you."** He sighed. **"Knowing you, you might start a fight with one of the Flareons."**

" **Well they better not call me a 'Tamed Pokemon' then!"** She yelled as they took the left fork and headed toward the feeding chamber. **"I'm warning you Lancelot, if they call me 'tamed' one more time, I am going to snap!"**

She didn't notice him shaking his head in frustration, but she knew he was exhausted of hearing her attitude talking instead of her brain. **"Look just don't go burning anyone alright?"** He said as they entered the feeding chamber and saw dozens of Pokemon all mingling about eating various berries on leaf tables. **"I'll be over there in case you need me."**

" **Whatever, I'll get us some food."** She said sourly, heading over to the large pile of berries that were stacked in the center of the room.

She grabbed two of the stone plates they modeled after the human's kitchen ware, and proceeded to the large pile of berries to get some for them to eat. Why they modeled this eating room like a kitchen, she didn't know, but this pack sure knew how to copy humans.

She got in line with a group of Pokemon, and waited for her turn to approach the berry pile as the pack's rules stated. When the Meowstic in front levitated a few berries for himself onto his plate and moved on, she approached the pile and looked for what she wanted to eat as well as what Lancelot would like.

" **Can you hurry up?"** A voice behind her called out.

Karen glared behind her at another Meowstic holding a plate like hers and glaring angrily at her. **"Shut up, I'm carrying plates for two in case you didn't notice."** She snarled, itching to drop her plates and grab the stick in her tail to show this 'Wild Pokemon' a thing or two.

" **Well hurry up, you're holding the line up!"** Said Meowstic snapped. **"I've got to get on patrol in a while and I'm hungry!"**

Karen snarled back and took some advice from Lancelot, and simply avoided a fight. She grabbed some berries, put them on the plates and left the line.

One thing that Lancelot always talked to her about, was controlling her hot headed attitude. She often had a problem with the members of this pack, mostly because of the Pokeball around her neck that she kept with her. This marked her as a 'Trained Pokemon', owned by a human and considered 'tamed' by wild Pokemon. She wouldn't have minded being called a 'Trained Pokemon' by them, but when they refer to her as 'tamed' as if it were an insult, is what infuriated her.

As she walked past the entrance to the feeding chamber she saw Purrson the Prime Mate out of the corner of her eye, but paid no attention. Yes she and Lancelot had to listen to him and the leader, but in all honesty, they couldn't force them to do anything. None of their pack had the strength to bring them to obey. Lancelot alone could take on any number of their members, and she was hardly a wimp after being trained by so many trainers.

She however, knew that out there was her true trainer, her true master and friend. Someone who understood her and cared about her, and she'd recognize him the moment she saw him, Lancelot would confirm it by seeing his aura. She'd dreamed of her true trainer since she first could, and every time she pictured him the image became clearer and clearer. She knew that without a doubt, one thing would stick out, his eyes, his light blue that showed kindness in great waves.

While she was so busy picturing her trainer's eyes, she didn't notice the Sentrets and female Pyroar in front of her, until she knocked into them and spilled all of the berries onto them. **"Watch where you're going!"** The Pyroar shouted.

" **Why don't you watch where you're going?"** Karen shot back angrily.

" **We were just standing here!"** The Sentrets shouted back at her. **"Why don't you stop fantasizing about humans and focus on where your walking?"**

Karen growled angrily as she crossed her arms, just waiting for an excuse to attack. **"Just leave her alone, she's not worth it."** One of the Sentrets said. **"She's so 'tamed' she's probably bathroom broken."**

That was the last straw for her, faster than the Pyroar's eye could blink, Karen whipped out the stick in her tail, lighting it on fire and held it out in front of her. Focusing her powers so she could unleash a Flamethrower at a moment's notice, so powerful it would burn even the fire type in front of her. **"Call me 'tamed' one more time…"** She snarled. **"Give me one reason, just one… I'll show you just how 'tamed' I really am!"**

" **You wouldn't dare."** The Pyroar whispered with a glare. **"You attack any of us, the leader will sick the entire pack on you. You and your 'friend' wouldn't last half the day."**

" **Try us…"** She shot back, now becoming aware that they were drawing quite a bit of attention. **"Even half of your pack would be nothing more than a day's exercise to me!"**

" **Just leave her be, she wants to moan and dream about her 'Trainer'."** A Purrloin said behind her. **"Aint that right 'Karen' the 'Braixen', you want to find the right human to submit and become their 'play thing' don't you?"** Around them all of the Pokemon began to agree with him as he continued to push Karen's button. **"Bet you just want to become this human's slave don't you, doing whatever he says, whenever he says. She wants to be a good little slave to her master, help him beat up and capture more Pokemon to turn into his personal army of slaves."**

At that, she snapped, she whipped around and sent a warning Flamethrower at the Purrloin, startling all of the Pokemon present at how strong it was. Another inch and she would have burned his head. **"TAKE THAT BACK!"** She roared angrily. **"TAKE BACK WHAT YOU JUST SAID!"**

She was becoming very aware that she was drawing quite the crowd to her now, there were at least twenty pack members surrounding her, some ready to attack other's just curious about what was going on. She was even aware of some Pokemon out of her line of sight getting out of the way of some important member of the pack, probably the Prime Mate, but all she wanted to do was teach this Purrloin a lesson.

" **You take back what you said about my Trainer!"** She yelled again, pointing the stick that had a burning flame on the end at the Purrloin now. **"You have no idea what he's like, he's nothing like that!"**

" **And how do you know, you don't even know him yourself!"** He snapped back.

" **I know him, I do know him!"** She yelled, tears now breaking through her anger. **"I know he's out there, I know he's nice and kind. When I find him I'll be happy again, he won't treat me like some tool, and he'll be nice and respectful!"**

" **Yea right, you're just dreaming wishful thoughts."** He said back. **"I've never met a human who never wanted to not capture a Pokemon, and you're parading around with your prison around your neck. If he's so friendly why doesn't he release you?"**

" **What's going on here?"** Purrson growled behind her. **"You, Karen, what are you doing. I ordered you to meet me and the leader of Pack David as soon as you returned. Why are you picking a fight here?"**

" **For the last time, I don't give a Rattata's tail about you and whatever Pack Leader is visiting!"** She snarled, ignoring the name Purrson said and turning around to yell at the Prime Mate. **"I'm sick and tired of everyone telling me what my Trainer is not…"**

She stopped talking the moment she saw who was standing next to Purrson. Standing just under five feet five inches, was a human, wearing light blue jeans, a matching jacket, red shirt, and traveling boots. Instantly she looked into his eyes, and saw not only were they light blue, but his left eye had an X mark where his pupil and iris were.

Without realizing it, she dropped her stick, and without her touch and concentration to maintain the flame, it extinguished as it clattered and rolled away.

(David's PoV)

"So you even modeled you're eating chamber after a human styled kitchen?" He asked Purrson as they walked through the tunnel into it.

" **Of course Leader David."** He replied with a purr of satisfaction. **"Thanks to this, none of our pack are confused about where to get food, and we ensure nobody can steal it easily."**

As they entered the chamber he saw that there were little tables of varying size for the various types of Pokemon there, some large for more evolved Pokemon and others small for the tinier ones. In the center was a large pile of berries, and there was even a line and smaller pile of stone plates for Pokemon that were bipedal. A line of Pokemon were waiting to get berries to eat, many of them Meowstics, but there were occasional feline Pokemon, like Purrloins, Litleo, Pyroars, and even other Liepard's like Purrson.

" **Well Pack Leader David, I am pleased you admire our den, now go and get your meal, take what you want for you and you're…"**

At that exact moment a huge Flamethrower caught their attention as it came from one side of the room, and the source was from the center of a small crowd of Pokemon. "What was that?" David asked instantly.

Purrson however growled in frustration and walked toward the commotion, David following behind him, feeling that perhaps he might be of help.

As he approached he saw that the crowd of Pokemon were surrounding a fire type Pokemon that stood three foot tall, with orange and white fur and walked on two legs with black fur. He remembered its species name as Braixen, the Fox Pokemon, and saw that it was holding a stick that was lit and pointed at a Purrloin. Its tail was straight out and on edge, clearly indicating it was ready for battle.

" **You take back what you said about my Trainer!"** The Braixen yelled angrily, apparently female by the sound of it. **"You have no idea what he's like, he's nothing like that!"**

"Trainer… who is she talking about?" David asked Purrson.

" **That is Karen, one of the Pokemon I asked to meet with us in the meeting hall!"** He growled in frustration. **"She's been searching for a 'trainer' for apparently seven years with a Lucario. She refuses to give up in this search, one moment I must stop this before it gets out of control."** He said before stepping forward as Karen and a Purrloin traded more insults and growls. **"What's going on here? You, Karen, what are you doing. I ordered you to meet me and the leader of Pack David as soon as you returned. Why are you picking a fight here?"**

" **For the last time, I don't give a Rattata's tail about you and whatever Pack Leader is visiting!"** She snarled, turning around to yell at the Prime Mate. **"I'm sick and tired of everyone telling me what my Trainer is not…"**

The moment she turned around and stared at David, he felt a sudden sense of joy radiate through him as he stared into her eyes, and she stared into his. It was as if he were staring at a long lost friend, someone he knew deeply and missed dearly. It only added to the feeling when he stared into her left eye, and saw the very same X mark that he had in his left eye, as well as Sophia, Lucy, and Terrance.

A moment after the sudden silence, Karen the Braixen dropped her stick, extinguishing the flame as it rolled away from her.

[Pokemon X/Y Fireworks Theme – replay it until the scene ends]

The Braixen stared at him, silently staring as she continued to look into his eyes before she finally spoke up. **"You… you're…"** She whispered quietly.

" **I'm ordering you to stand down Karen, or else I'm going to…"** Purrson began growling before David shushed him with a hand.

"No… let her talk." He whispered quietly, still staring into her red eyes, eyes that looked so full of pain moments ago but now looked like they were staring at something they didn't dare believe was real.

The Fox Pokemon was shaking slightly, not out of fear but of suppressed joy, joy that looked like it barely had any life left to express it, and was now slowly starting to remember how to express itself as she walked to him. As she walked, she lifted one paw toward him, which also shook shakily when she moved it, as if trying to touch something she was afraid would vanish the moment she did.

(Karen's PoV)

She stared at the human's light blue eyes, and uncontrollably began walking to him, unwilling to believe that she was really staring at him. All her life, all these years of searching, and here he was standing in front of her? No way was the world that kind, no way would the world deliver him right to her without some kind of misery befalling her.

But as she slowly walked, step by step to him, that human with light blue eyes and an X mark in one of them, she could tell unconsciously that it was indeed him. She was staring right at him, it was him.

After all of her years of searching, he was standing right in front of her.

" **You… you're really here…"** She whispered, lifting one of her paws to touch him, to assure herself that he was real.

He knelt down before her while she continued to walk toward him, tears falling from her eyes and dripping onto the floor. "You know me?" He asked her calmly.

She nodded happily, smiling sadly as she finally reached him and felt his hand on her paw. **"You… it's you… I've finally found you!"** She said hoarsely, barely able to speak now that she was crying so hard. **"You exist… I knew you existed…"** She said, pushing her face into his chest and crying even more as she felt his heart beat. **"My master… my true Trainer… my Original Trainer!"**

(David's PoV)

"Original Trainer, what do you mean by that?" He asked the Pokemon now crying in joy as he softly began to pet her, feeling as though he knew this Braixen well.

He didn't know why, but he knew who she was, that she was indeed his, and that she was like a child to him. A child that he didn't want to change just for his benefit.

" **I kept telling everyone… I had an original trainer… that he was out there!"** She whispered tearfully. **"Now I've found you… you're here… you're really, really here! I don't need to search anymore."**

"You've been searching for me?" He asked, completely ignoring the dozens upon dozens of Pokemon staring at the two of them.

" **All my life master… all of my life!"** She moaned happily. **"I was traded from one trainer to another as they tried to make me into their perfect fighter. For eleven long years… until I could get away! Then I spent seven… seven longer years… searching all of Kalos for you!"** She looked up at him, and saw that her eyes were now full of happiness, as if all the pain and suffering the owner of those eyes endured was finally worth it. **"From town to town… trainer to trainer I looked for you… but I couldn't find you! Everyone said it was pointless but I held onto that hope… that one hope I ever had. So I refused to give up my search… no matter what anyone said I KNEW you were out there, waiting for me to find you! My one true master, my kind master, the only one who ever understood me!"**

"Do you know my name… how do you know it's me?" He asked her.

" **Your name is David… I always remembered it… the one thing that stood out even more clearly than your light blue eyes in my dreams."** She whispered, nuzzling his chest as she spoke. **"I'm so happy… so happy to finally have found you! All these years… all those nights and days of wandering… I'm so glad they're finally over. My master…"**

He didn't know why, but he knew she told the truth, as much as he hated the term, he was her master. Something just told him that this was true, that she was his Pokemon, and that he was her Trainer.

He guessed it was just as Terrance said, something that bound them together through their marks.

As he softly rubbed the crying Braixen in his arms, electing soft purrs of happiness from her, another Pokemon made its way over to them through the crowd. It too was bipedal and stood three foot tall, but unlike Karen who was foxlike, this new Pokemon looked more canine in appearance. He saw that it was very unlike Karen, very alert and very respectful of David and Karen who were sharing their moment.

 **(David I take it?)** He asked him psychically in his mind, to which David nodded. **(I am glad to meet you, Karen and I have been searching for you, all of our lives. My name is Lancelot, and I too have been searching for you, my true master.)**

"How do you both know me?" He asked the Lucario, noticing that the Pokemon were leaving at the orders of Purrson, who remained off to the side to give them privacy. "I mean… how do you know I'm your master, or your trainer as you put it?"

In response Lancelot walked over to him, and placed a paw on his shoulder. Instantly a strange pair of Aura's appeared around them, shaped just like them and radiating light around the room. David's aura was several colors, just as Isis described it as. Lancelot also had this aura wrapped around him, radiating the same colors as David, as well as Karen, however David's aura was the brightest and clearest by comparison.

 **(Because I can see your aura David, as clearly as I can show you by touching you and sharing what I see this way.)** He said calmly, before retracting his arm and breaking the vision. **(Karen would identify you by your eyes, and I would confirm it with your aura. That is how we'd know who you were out of all the humans we saw over our journey. I knew from the moment I could remember, that I shared the same aura signature as my true master did. Karen's is similar but different to mine, but yours is exactly like mine.)**

Karen looked up at Lancelot and smiled happily while rubbing the tears out of her eyes. **"See Lance… he's real… I told you he was real!"** She said. **"I told you, I kept telling everyone! He existed… he wasn't just wishful thinking!"**

Lancelot smiled happily as Karen resumed nuzzling David. **(Yes she was David, she was right.)** He told him. **(For all this time we've been constantly told to stop searching for someone who did not exist. Even I at one point almost lost faith in searching for you. But she refused to give up, she refused to give in to the idea that you did not exist. So I followed her, believing that one day, we would find you.)**

"You really were persistent." He said to the two Pokemon. "How did you get here, I mean you said you were both traveling for years so how long were you looking?"

 **(I was searching Kalos for longer than Karen was in term of years.)** He said with a sad smile. **(For years I trained under Korinna's daughter, Korinda, at the Tower of Mastery as one of her Lucario. But as we trained, I continued to feel like something was wrong, like someone that should be there wasn't there. So one night, after many years of training to become stronger, I asked her to allow me to leave.)**

He took a paw and held the shiny stone around his neck. **(She said she understood my reasons for leaving, saying that we were not truly in sync, and wanting me to find my true master, the one who I truly belonged to. She gave me this stone in memory of our training, and wished me luck in my journey. For years I wandered, battling trainer after trainer, looking for that aura I knew would belong to my true master. But after nine years of searching I was unsuccessful, until I found Karen.)**

" **For eleven years I was traded from trainer to trainer, ever since I evolved into a Braixen with my first trainer!"** Karen said. **"He wanted me to evolve so I could become stronger, but I didn't want to. He got fed up with me after I refused to evolve five times, and traded me to another trainer. That trainer did the same thing, and tried to force me to evolve, until he too got fed up with me, and traded me away. It went on, for all of those years until one trainer became so fed up with me… that he decided to force a decision on me."**

She looked up at him with a sad expression. **"He tried to rape me master… he said if I wouldn't evolve to become his 'special attack striker', he'd make me into his 'personal sex slave'. I fought as hard as I could and managed to win my freedom, taking my Pokeball so I could get away. That's about when I found Lancelot, and together we traveled to find you! We knew you were out there, but we didn't know where."**

 **(We journeyed from town to town, tournament to tournament, route to route, it didn't matter to us because we knew you were out there somewhere. Karen refused to give up on you, and so we continued. At one point I was ready to give up, I was searching for fifteen years and no sign of you.)** Lancelot said with a sad smile, which quickly brightened as he looked at Karen. **(But Karen here, she absolutely refused to surrender to that despair, she helped me reaffirm my belief in our search. She kept on believing onto the hope that we would find you, and that you were alive and out there.)**

"You two… did all that to find me?" He asked them in amazement. "I'm honored… that you would go so far to find me."

" **Master… please take us with you!"** Karen begged him. **"Anywhere, we'll follow you to wherever you want! Just take us with you… I don't want to be apart from you ever… now that I've finally found you. My true master."**

 **(Yes, I ask you to accept us as your Pokemon.)** Lancelot asked, bending down to kneel before him. **(Will you accept us and let us be your bodyguards, as you are a Pack Leader? I heard you were a Pack Leader when Purrson referred to you as such.)**

David smiled and nodded, knowing that he couldn't just leave these two behind after all they went through. "Yea, you can be my bodyguards. Welcome to Pack David."

Karen yipped happily as she jumped up and hugged David's neck. **"If you're going to be my master, you'll need this!"** She said, jumping back down and taking her necklace off and handing it, a Pokeball, for him to take.

Smiling in understanding, he took the necklace and placed it around his neck. "If you want I can destroy it, releasing you from the Pokeball. You don't need to think of me as your master, because I'll never see you as a servant."

" **And that's why I want you as my master… Master David."** She said with a smile.

[P.S. You can stop listening now to the music, if you still are]

" **So this human is the one you were searching for?"** Purrson asked them, and both Lancelot and Karen nodded. **"I must say… I am not surprised, and I'm glad that he is the one you were searching for. He is a fine leader from what I can see, and I would not mind if he took you with him into his pack."** He turned to David and purred. **"Leader David, as this is important for you and your pack, I suggest you return to your female with these two. I shall have a member bring food for you all, before you retire for bed. It is getting late, and I must prepare the night guards."**

"Thank you Purrson." David said, turning to leave with Lancelot.

" **Wait, one second!"** Karen shouted, causing him to turn and watch her as she ran to her fallen stick, spun it skillfully before stashing it in her tail. **"There, now we can go."** She said with a grin, before following after David and Lancelot.

=One Hour Later, in the guest room=

"So that's everything Sophia." David said, after explaining why he had a Lucario and a Braixen with him, as well as why they too had marks.

He also explained to Karen and Lancelot why Sophia was his Second Prime Mate, and their relationship. Joining them were also Yara, who explained the way their pack worked in more details. After much explanation they were all caught up together, and were preparing for bed.

" **Well at the very least, my David has more protection."** Sophia said with a smile. **"As second Prime Mate, I expect you both to protect my love without any hesitation. Are we clear?"**

Both Lancelot and Karen nodded. "Now Sophia, there's no need to be all formal." He said with a chuckle. "In any case, I'm tired, how about we go to bed?"

" **Will you two please follow me, we must leave the Leader and his Prime Mate alone."** Yara said, standing and preparing to leave. **"As his guards you may wait outside, but we too must rest for tomorrow's journey back to our den."**

" **But we just found him!"** Karen whined sadly. **"Can't we stay, Please David?"**

He glanced at Sophia who shook her head ever slightly, before raising an eyebrow with a smirk. "I'm sorry Karen, but Sophia is right. At least for tonight you can't be with me."

" **Very well… pleasant dreams master."** Karen said sadly, standing up with Lancelot and walking out.

(Multi PoV)

As they left and closed the door, Sophia instantly got up and pulled the necklace off of him, before kissing him deeply. "You know…" He said softly as he caressed his Furfrou lover. "That was mean of you, telling them they can't be with us, knowing how long they've been searching."

" **Shut up my love."** Sophia whispered as she rubbed her sex against his member that he pulled out. **"I want you to fuck me, and I want us to have privacy."** She grinned as she slowly pushed his member into her, sighing as she felt so full from his member being inside. **"We won't get to do this on the way back privately, as you know. So I want to take advantage of this while we have the chance. Now fuck me like the salope chaude that I am, and make me yours!"**

"With… pleasure." He said with a grin before instantly thrusting as hard as he could. "I swear… no matter how many times we do this, you are just so… tight!"

" **You're just AH… so bi~g Maître David!"** She moaned happily as he placed her on her back. **"Yes… fuck me… fuck me hard… hard and fast!"**

He began to pound her harder and harder, enjoying how tight her passage was around his member as a bit of pre began to leak into her. Now that he was pounding her hard he leaned forward and kissed Sophia on the lips, eliciting very enticing moans of pleasure from her as she wrapped her tongue around his and pulled it into her mouth, inviting it to dance.

As he thrust into her, Sophia felt him touch this one spot in her womb, and unable to restrain herself, cried out in pleasure, though muffled because of their kiss. She instinctively knew what happened, he had found her g-spot, a pleasure point in her body, and she found him touch it again and again.

As he felt his release approaching he began to pound her more fiercely, increasing his thrust as hard as he could. "Sophia, I'm about to…" He whispered.

" **Yes… me too!"** She said back, placing her paws on his shoulder to get a better grip. **"Inside me… like always… fill me up!"**

Not wanting to refuse her, he thrust one final time and feeling his member spill his seed into her. Sophia moaned happily as she too leaked onto his member, coating it with her own juices. Unable to go any longer without rest, David and Sophia collapsed onto their side as he pulled the blanket over them.

" **Five… times… inside of me."** She whispered quietly. **"Oh Maître David… Lucy will be jaloux. No doubt… she'll want you to fuck her the moment we get back."**

"No doubt… but you know." He whispered just as quietly. "If I keep doing this… one of you is bound to get pregnant. Are you sure you don't mind?"

" **My womb… is yours."** She sighed happily. **"Put your seed there… whenever you want… however many times you wish. I will take all of it. Same goes for Lucy."**

"What would I do without you." He replied, kissing her on the forehead.

" **Don't know… but if it weren't for me… you'd forget to put your head on if it weren't attached to your body."** She replied with a chuckle. **"Now I'm very tired darling… twice in one day, you know how to 'fill' a girl don't you?"**

"You give me plenty of practice." David said back, leaning into the blankets and promptly closing his eyes.

Meanwhile, outside of the room, watching the two make love to one another and whispering words of affection, was a Braixen. She touched her own sex as she imagined her new master dominating her like that Furfrou did.

" **Now… that's a master."** She whispered quietly, unable to resist spying on them after Lancelot and Yara went to bed. **"Oh master… please do that to me…"** She moaned as she continued to finger herself, unable to refuse pleasuring herself while she imagined her new master mating to her just as furiously.

She pushed her paw further into her passage, making sure to preserve her virginity, but wanting to feel pleasure like that Furfrou was feeling. **"She's soooo lucky…"** She whispered as he came inside of Sophia, and wondering what it felt like to have cum in her own womb. **"I only ever had those visions… stupid visions of his handsome face. Those wonderful eyes… his hand holding my paw as we walk… as he bathed me…"** She rubbed herself more furiously as that picture came to her mind. **"Ah… master… look at me… look at me coming!"**

As she silently came from pleasuring herself and picturing that member of his claiming her virginity, she wondered just why she found herself wanting her new Trainer this way. **"Stupid… visions… making that idiot master so handsome to me!"** She whispered silently. **"Then that… why do I have to be such a peeper?"** As she stormed away she pictured him mating with other females, two at once. **"A Pack Leader who can mate any female he wants, and has 'two' females sleeping in the same bed as him in their den. Not only is he handsome but he's 'big' to me, and he's not only my new Trainer but also my new Pack Leader. Oh I hope to Arceus he fucks me…"**


	9. Chapter 8

_*They were your best friends…*_

 _*They were your family…*_

 _*I was merely an outsider back then.*_

=Chatper 8, Lucy's Surprise=

(David's PoV)

"It feels good to be back at our den." David said as they approached the entrance to their den, a cave hidden out of sight. "I wonder how Lucy's been doing since we left."

" **Knowing her, she's probably waiting for you to return."** Sophia barked as she and David led the way into the den with Yara, Karen, and Lancelot following behind.

After they left Pack Delica, Karen and Lancelot assumed their duties as David's bodyguard, and they proved to be quite effective guards, even more so than Yara. Lancelot, with his ability to see auras allowed him to ensure no Pokemon threatened them while they walked, and Karen's determination coupled with her fire type nature actually increased her fire type attacks. Yet while they walked, David felt something happen that he never noticed before because of what he was surrounded by over the last few days.

He felt calm, as if nothing were wrong. Yes he was still nervous about leaving Lucy behind while Scar was still there, and yes he was worried about the pack without him being there to watch it, but other than that he felt perfectly calm. He also felt, normal now. For some reason he felt normal with Karen and Lancelot there.

It also helped that while they walked back to their den, they spent their time talking and getting to know each other. He learned that while Lancelot was a fierce fighter, he was a very humble Lucario, preferring to keep his place and avoid making challenges or raising his opinion unless he felt it absolutely necessary. He also preferred to sleep lightly, thinking that someone might attack them during the night, and so easily awoke at the slightest provocation.

Karen on the other hand, in contrast to Lancelot, was very fiery tempered, believing in her own superiority and never hesitating to show off to David how strong she was. While they walked he asked her how strong she was, and she boasted that her Flamethrower was so strong it could incinerate a tree within seconds, and melt boulder to ashes. While she was more than willing to demonstrate her abilities, he said he'd believe her word.

One other thing he noticed about her, was how much she reminded him of a teenager. She acted like such a teenager around him, pretending to not care one minute before instantly asking him to forgive her and saying she didn't mean what she said. It made him laugh when they stopped for the night and she got upset that they were stopping, until he Sophia asked her to stay next to him in case she needed to protect him. Lancelot merely chuckled silently while he slept lightly across from them with Yara next him as well around their small camp fire.

For a brief moment, it felt familiar, as if they were on a journey together.

"Well you two, welcome to our den, forgive us for not being as advanced in what we have compared to Pack Delica." He said with a smile. "We don't have electricity, so we use these bioluminescent rocks to light everything. We also don't have signs or well carved tunnels, but everything is nice here. You'll get used to where everything is eventually."

" **And even if you don't, your job is to follow David and keep him safe."** Sophia barked. **"So you'll learn your way around eventually."**

" **I have a question!"** Karen piped up as they went underground. **"Is there a curfew?"**

"No not really Karen, but most Pokemon in the pack go to sleep when night time hits. Also the night guard needs to take over, so there's that reason."

" **I too have a question Master."** Lancelot asked while they walked. **"In regards to being your body guards, do we have chambers close by yours?"**

"I'll have Lucy make the necessary arrangements if you want." David said politely. "In any case, tomorrow we need to speak to Terrance, perhaps he has a theory about why all of us have these marks."

As they walked Nera approached from a side tunnel and joined their group with a weary smile. **"Greetings Leader, welcome back."** She said tiredly. **"Was your trip to Pack Delica successful?"**

"Yes Nera, I learned that there were new members to their pack who were unfamiliar with the borders, and that is why the patrol attempted to cross the border into our territory." He said as they walked to the main meeting hall, noticing how weary she appeared. "Are you alright Nera, you look tired."

" **Your Prime Mate has had me running around a lot."** Nera replied. **"I haven't had much time to sleep since you left. Your Prime Mate is very nocturnal by nature, so she's not as affected, but I am not used to being so active."**

"I see, Lucy wasn't abusing her power was she while I was gone?" He asked.

" **Oh no Leader, she made no decrees while you were gone, she just had me running around carrying out instructions to certain members of the pack."** Nera replied.

"In that case, Yara, take Nera back to your room so you two can rest. You've both been busy over the past few days and deserve a good rest."

" **Thank you leader."** Yara said politely before letting his sister lean on him and walk down another side tunnel toward their chambers.

They continued to walk until they reached the Main Chamber, all the while meeting members of the pack who welcomed him back, greeted him respectfully and went about their business. He even met Natalia and Aurora, two of the mothers he helped with his very first decree, who welcomed him back happily and said they honored his name by naming their male pups after him. Natalia herself smiled as she told him how honored she was to have had the chance to please him, and how the other mothers were jealous of her, causing him to blush deeply.

Sophia only chuckled slightly while Karen stared at him intently and Lancelot seemed to not have heard anything, as he chose that moment to look intently at the surrounding lights.

Nodding in understanding he continued on to the Main Hall, where half of the pack was already gathered. At his entrance several of them cried shouts of welcome back, but most remained silent as he went to his spot in the front of and in the center of the group, where Lucy was sitting waiting for him.

" **Welcome back David!"** She said, walking up to him and getting on her rear legs so that she could place her front legs on his shoulders to kiss him. **"I've missed you dearly…"** She whispered with a blush and a smile.

"I've heard you've been having Nera running around like crazy." He said with a smirk. "What have you been up to since I've been gone?"

" **You'll find out."** She replied with a smirk of her own, taking her seat on his left when he sat down, followed by Sophia who sat on his right and Karen and Lancelot behind them.

"Greetings everyone, I have returned from my meeting with Pack Delica." He said, calling everyone's attention and silencing all conversations. "To our patrols watching Pack Delica's eastern border with us, the patrol that accidentally crossed into our territory had no harmful intent, and was made up of members who were unfamiliar with the various borders of the packs. Delica sends her regards and wishes us to remain on peaceful and friendly terms."

Several Pokemon cried cheers of gratitude at hearing the news that they weren't under threat from Pack Delica.

"Now then, I have a few decrees to make, so please listen well, since not everyone is here I want those who are here to spread word to those who aren't here of what I say." He said loudly, causing many members to listen intently. "First of all, I have chosen to take on a Second Prime Mate, this is Sophia my Furfrou friend who has been with me since we were both born at the same time. She is my Second Prime Mate, but unlike Lucy, her position is merely one of nobility, and does not actually have any true power. Despite this, I want you to treat her no differently than you would my Prime Mate Lucy, give her the same respect and courtesy you would give Lucy."

Sophia blushed deeply and stared out at the crowd of Pokemon who acknowledged David's decree.

"My next announcement is that I have taken on two new bodyguards, both of whom I met living among Pack Delica." He said, and both Lancelot and Karen nodded to the crowd as a whole. "They are called Lancelot and Karen respectively, and they are both my guards as well as guards to my two Prime Mates. Treat them with the same respect and regard as you do the Twins, Yara and Nera."

The pack nodded in understanding and a few even stared in admiration at the two of them, clearly admiring how strong they appeared.

"Those are my only decrees that I have, now as I have been gone for four days, are there any issues that require my attention?" He asked, looking around at the pack and waiting for any news.

After a decent amount of time when nobody spoke up, he nodded and informed everyone that they were dismissed. As everyone began to disperse he turned to Lucy and began to explain Lancelot and Karen, as well as explaining that they too had X marks in their eyes. "So now that we're all here, does anyone have any idea why we have these marks?" He asked them all. "It's like we all found our way to each other, more specifically as Terrance said, found our way to me."

" **Yes, it does seem to be more than just coincidence."** Lucy replied. **"Only Sophia didn't have to go searching for David, the rest of us all had to go and travel and journey in our own ways to find him."**

" **Yes, but why?"** Sophia asked. **"Why did we have to go and find him, what is it that binds us, why David and why all of us?"**

" **Davis is my Original Trainer."** Karen said instantly. **"That's all the reason I need, I can feel it in my heart, he's my Original Trainer and that's all there is to it."**

" **Yes, he is our Original Trainer, as Karen said."** Lancelot said with a nod.

" **Do you think there are others like us out there?"** Lucy asked him with a curious expression. **"Other's like us, Pokemon with these X marks like us."**

"Now that you mention it… there is this one Pokemon I met when I was younger, you know her right Sophia?" He said.

" **You mean that Xena?"** Sophia asked. **"Doesn't she always seem to disappear whenever you're around wherever she lives? That strange grove where Lucy often met you? What was her species name, you never did mention it."**

"I never found out, but I distinctly remember her having an X mark in both of her eyes as well." He said, picturing Xena as best he could, but because he saw her so rarely, he couldn't remember exactly what she looked like. "It's hard to describe her, but I think she had X marks in her eyes as well. I don't remember exactly, but perhaps she might know something."

" **You said there was also a Lapras with our eye mark right?"** Karen asked, to which everyone nodded. **"Strange, I don't understand it but I feel like there aren't any others like us, besides this Xena you mention. I can't explain it but I feel like… something is complete."**

" **Yes… I too feel complete."** Lancelot said as he looked around their group. **"As if not only is our search over, but as if the pieces in my aura are now complete. Where once before there were holes that I was longing to fill, now I find myself whole and complete."**

"Yea… I feel that way as well for some reason." David said softly, looking at those Pokemon gathered around him, all of whom shared one thing in common, besides their X marked eyes.

They all were together, where once they were separated and divided, searching for one another, now they are together under one den. He felt complete as well, as if he didn't need to search for anyone else now.

" **Well in any case everyone, our leader and I have some things to take care of, pack stuff you know."** Lucy said, getting up and stretching before winking at David. **"Therefore as Prime Mate, Lancelot, Karen, I want you two to go and find a group of foragers that are waiting outside the main entrance to the den. I informed them that after the meeting I would assign them some guards so they could finish gathering all of the berries before the Wingul pests arrive to try and steal our food. Your task is to protect them while they forage, understood?"**

" **What, we just got here!"** Karen whined. **"Can't we stay with David and tour the den?"**

" **No she has a point darling, now off with you both."** Sophia barked. **"In the meantime, I'm going to go and visit the elder Jen, I've been wanting to talk to another Furfrou since I showed up here. Lucy I'll trust you to 'take care' of our Mate and make sure he's safe."**

"Oh she will." David said with a grin. "Lancelot, Karen, take care of yourselves, be back before nightfall with the foragers."

" **Fine…"** Karen groaned.

" **As you wish."** Lancelot said with a nod.

(Multi PoV)

After that they all got up and made their separate ways with Karen and Lancelot heading to the main entrance, while Lucy, David and Sophia headed down to the living chambers. As they entered the tunnel that led to the 'royal' chambers, meaning the elders, advisors, bodyguards and leader's chamber, Lucy turned down a side tunnel and entered Jen's chamber, while he and Lucy continued to his chamber.

"So what have you got planned for me today Lucy?" He said with a grin. "I know you didn't just order Lancelot and Karen to guarding foragers for no other reason than to get them out of the way."

" **You got that right my mate."** Lucy said seductively as they entered his chamber, impressing him that she had kept it clean while they were away. **"Tell me my love, did you have fun with Sophia while you were away? I won't be jealous of you if you did."**

"Alright I'll be honest then, yes, Sophia and I had quite a few fun times." He said, sitting down on the bed as she climbed next to him and started nuzzling his chest. "So what does my gorgeous mate have planned for me tonight, since you obviously have something planned for me?"

At that Lucy smiled and pushed herself up to his face and locked lips with him, being very careful to not hurt him with her scythe like horn. After a moment they separated and she smiled lovingly into his eyes. **"A few hours of love between you and me, in this empty room."** She said with a grin. **"As well as a few… friends of mine, from before I became your Prime Mate."** She looked over at the entrance to their chamber and gave a small call. **"Come on in girls!"**

At that two more Pokemon walked into the room, and he instantly recognized them as a Glaceon and a Leafeon, with the Glaceon being two feet high and the Leafeon being three feet. Both of them blushed at being looked at by their leader before smiling shyly.

" **These are two of my friends, their called Icicle and Floral respectively."** Lucy said with a grin. **"I figured you'd mate with Sophia a few times while away, and thinking that I wouldn't see you for a few days made me so lonely. So I asked them to… join us tonight."**

" **When Lucy asked us to mate with you leader, we couldn't believe the offer."** Floral said with a smile, her blush deepening on her short yellowish green fur.

" **The chance to mate with you Leader… it's an honor just to be in here."** Icicle whispered, her own blush apparent on her light blue fur.

"Lucy, not that I don't disapprove, but I hope you aren't taking advantage of my position to convince females to mate with me?" David asked his Absol mate. "You know how I feel about mating just because I'm the Leader. I've learned that Scar abused that privilege, and I don't want to become like him."

" **I know David… but hear me out before you reject my idea."** She said with a smile. **"Listen, while you were away, I've been talking to the pack about that very subject. A lot of the females were afraid that you'd be doing what Scar did before, but after I told them your ideas, they changed their opinion about you. It also helped that Natalia shared her 'experience' with you first hand."**

She looked over at her two friends before smiling even more. **"As for the males, well let's just say that before I gave them my offer I asked permission from their own father's if I could ask them. Besides their here because you have a responsibility to them. Show him girls!"** She said, and both the Eeveelutions nodded and turned around, lowered their front halves and exposed their puffed and dripping sexes to him. **"As you can see… they're in heat… and they don't want to settle down with any male just yet. Now you aren't going to just let these girls leave when it's your sworn duty to help them, are you?"**

He smiled at his Prime Mate before beginning to remove his shirt. "I am the luckiest guy to have a mate like you Lucy." He said as he removed his shirt and began massaging Lucy's fur.

" **Just wait until we begin…"** She whispered seductively, kissing him and slipping her tongue into his mouth. **"Mmm…"**

As he continued to remove his clothes, Icicle and Floral turned back around and walked over to him and Lucy making out and watched as he removed his undergarments, and stared wide eyed at his member which was quickly hardening. **"Oh… so big…"** Floral said.

" **Will it… fit?"** Icicle asked as his member twitched.

" **Oh it will fit girls… just wait and see."** Lucy said with a chuckle. **"Now let's show our leader how good we are."** She got off of David's chest and moved to his member, and started licking it slowly. **"Mmm… I never get tired of this taste… this scent. Floral come join me… while you give David a taste of yourself Icicle."**

Both girls nodded and while the Leafeon went to go lick David's member with Lucy, the Glaceon walked over and placed her front paws on his shoulders, lifting herself up to give David a kiss like Lucy.

He was in absolute paradise as his member received such special treatment from two females, while the third kissed him, making his mouth feel a gentle cold touch that came from her being an Ice Type. "Did Lucy show you how to kiss me?" He asked as he took one hand and began fingering the Glaceon's wet sex, eliciting several lust filled moans.

" **Oh… yes leader… she did!"** Icicle whispered as she panted. **"She told us… you'd like it better… if we did this!"**

"Well she was right… I'm definitely enjoying it." He whispered as he continued to please the Glaceon.

They kept going at this pace for several minutes with Lucy and Floral licking his member until it was fully ready, and Icicle kissing and being fingered by David. However he was soon ready for the real part of Lucy's surprise, and she noticed it as well. **"Alright my love, who do you want first?"** She said with a grin.

"I think my Prime Mate should go first." He said as he sat up with his twitching member ready and waiting.

Lucy nodded and turned around, lowered her front half and presented her sex to him, just the way he liked to take her. In a second his member was thrust into the warm and wet folds of his Absol, and she was just as tight as always. She gasped in pleasure as she felt his member enter her, and within seconds began whimpering in joy and moaning in pleasure with each thrust he did, making sure to touch her G-Spot each time.

" **Oh yes… I almost forgot… what it feels like!"** Lucy cried as David leaned over her and held her chest with his hands. **"Just like that… yes… oh David!"**

"Has my Prime Mate missed me that much?" David asked seductively as he leaned in and kissed the Absol, thrusting at a steady pace he knew she loved.

" **Mmm!"** She replied with a nod, not stopping her own thrusts against his to match the pleasure.

She did indeed miss him, she missed feeling his touch, smelling his scent, and especially mating him now that she could without reservation. She had restrained herself from mating any males because her own heat was rapidly approaching, and even though she wasn't feeling its effects, she was feeling its influences. She needed to mate with him, she needed a male's touch now that she could have it, and her paw alone would not suffice from now on.

Not when her sex could have this member inside of it now, poking at her cervix every time he thrusted.

No way was she going back to using her paw.

As David began to pick up his pace, he saw that Icicle and Floral were busying themselves by making out with each other, kissing each other full on the mouths and rubbing their sexes against one another. Floral was on top because of her height, while Icicle was on the bottom, and the image of those two Eeveelutions in that position with Floral starting to hump Icicle as if she were a male, only propelled him to pump Lucy all the harder.

" **Oh yes… David claim me!"** Lucy cried enthusiastically, lifting her head and letting David grab her horn again. **"Yes… like that… just like that!**

Seeing that like Sophia, Lucy wanted to be dominated, decided to see just how well she liked the idea. "So tell me…" David grunted as he pounded Lucy now, feeling his orgasm approaching. "Do you like… being dominated… like this?"

" **YES!"** Lucy screamed in euphoria, her tongue hanging out. **"I love it… being yours… I'm all yours… all of me… is yours… YOURS AND ONLY YOURS!"**

Smiling he reached down and kissed her again, tasting her tongue as she tried to breath while also moan. "Oh Lucy… I'm about to… cum!"

" **Inside of me… I want it… inside!"** Lucy begged, and moments later she screeched in orgasm as she came all over his member.

As she came her cervix opened up, eager to let his member inside of her womb to accept his seed, and that's exactly what happened. He thrust one final time and hilted himself, expelling his seed into her eagerly awaiting womb, letting his seed pool up inside of her.

Lucy collapsed to the floor, still full with David inside of her as he panted heavily from their fun. But he knew that he wasn't done, he still had two females waiting for him, and this gave him an idea now that he no longer had the self-reservations about having sex with the females of the pack.

"Are you two ready for me?" He asked the two girls, pulling out of Lucy's womb and showing he was still hard.

" **Yes Leader!"** They both said, eyeing his member eagerly and desperately.

"Okay good, but I want you two to hold that pose you have right now." He said as he walked over to the two females and lined himself up with both of their puffed sexes.

When he was ready, he slid his member in between both of them, before slowly sliding into Icicle's sex, causing her to moan happily as he began to thrust.

" **Ooooh…"** Icicle moaned as he thrust inside of her. **"You're so large… I see now why Lucy loves you!"**

As he thrust inside of Icicle he also fingered Floral so that she too received the same pleasure. Both Eeveelutions were in ecstasy as their Leader mated with them in his unique way, being able to please both of them without any effort. Icicle could feel him touching her cervix and wondered how much more she could take. Floral on the hand couldn't wait for their leader to claim her as well, his fingers felt wonderful but her sex wanted the real thing.

David meanwhile was feeling a new kind of pleasure with mating these two females, Icicle's ice body cooled his member without ruining the pleasure he was feeling, and despite her body being 'cold' her passage was quite warm. It was very strange and that only made it feel even better.

After a few minutes of this he began to thrust faster, watching as the two girls began making out again, kissing each other while Icicle's body moved constantly from his thrusting. Then he grunted loudly and hilted himself inside of the Glaceon's body, spilling his seed inside as she came as well.

"Ooooh… Arceus…" He moaned as he pulled out and prepared to enter Floral's sex now, knowing he didn't have much left in him tonight. "I'm sorry you are last Floral, I hope you forgive me."

" **Oh please Leader… claim me already!"** She complained, pushing herself against his member. **"Please… my heat burns so much… put it out already!"**

He nodded and instantly thrust inside of her, feeling her tight passage that was even tighter than Icicle's, marveling at how she could just barely fit his size before he began thrusting furiously.

" **OH ARCEUS!"** Floral screamed in ecstasy, loving how she was being mated by their leader. **"IT FEELS SO GOOD!"** She looked over at Lucy who was smiling as she rubbed her stomach smoothly. **"OH LUCY, YOU ARE SO LUCKY TO BE HIS PRIME MATE!"**

" **Told ya he was good."** Lucy said, admiring how still Icicle was because she was still experiencing her high from mating.

David however was thrusting as hard as he could, feeling his third and probably final orgasm approaching at rapid speed and wanting to finish with his third female of the night. As he felt pressure growing in his member one final time, he began to pound the Leafeon for all he was worth. "Floral… I'm about to cum again!"

" **Inside… inside… inside, inside!"** She cried out. **"Inside me… insideinsideinside INSIIIIIDE!"**

As she screamed her last word she came, opening her cervix to allow his seed exactly where she was begging him to put it, inside her womb.

He came just as she asked, and put his seed right where she begged, inside of her waiting womb.

Gasping for breath, he held both the two Eeveelutions to his chest before falling back onto his bed, where Lucy instantly curled up with him, using her paws to clumsily cover them both with his blanket.

Ten minutes later, the two girls left, wearily and shakily, but with very content smiles on both of their faces, leaving Lucy and David alone.

"That was one heck of a surprise Lucy." He whispered to his Prime Mate, stroking her fur as he took very deep breaths.

" **Your welcome."** She said with a content sigh. **"Wouldn't have happened if they weren't in heat though, at least with those two. Found out they were in heat yesterday, and so I told them my plan."**

"You are one amazing Prime Mate." He said, kissing her on the lips and slipping his tongue into her mouth.

" **Mmhmm!"** She said, closing her eyes and enjoying the kiss.

After a few minutes of moaning into each other's mouths and enjoying each other's tastes, they separated to stare lovingly at one another. **"I'm so glad I became yours David."** She said. **"Just knowing that you are here… feeling your hands on me… it makes me feel like… like everything is right in the world."**

He nodded as she tucked her head under his chin, feeling her horn slowly scrape across his cheek. "Lucy… if I keep doing this… mating with females who are in heat." He said, suddenly realizing something important. "What are the odds of me getting them pregnant?"

" **Won't know till we find out."** She whispered. **"But they knew the risks before coming here, as every female who mated with Scar while they were in heat did. But the difference between you and him is they feared what would happen after mating him. If they have your eggs David… they wouldn't mind."**

"But I'll have to take responsibility for getting them pregnant." He said.

" **David, that's not how it works for Pokemon."** She said sternly. **"For humans yes, but for us no, if you mate with a female simply to put out her heat, and an egg is produced because of it, you aren't considered the father."** She looked up at him with a smile. **"That's what Natalia meant by when she said she didn't mind if they were your pups when you mated her. She won't call you the father, but she would love to have had your pups. Another reason why Scar frightened some of the girls when their heats rolled around. So unless you want to make her a Prime Mate… which I forbid mind you… you don't have to worry about being called 'dad' by any of the females pups that you might produce."**

"I can see now… why Scar took advantage of you girls." He said, seeing now why Scar loved taking advantage of his position to mate however many females he wanted. "So as long as I simply mate to help these females through their heats, they won't consider me their father's pups?"

Lucy nodded her head. **"That's right, so get used to doing this quite often David."** She said with a smirk. **"Because there's over two hundred members in this pack, and almost one half of them are females. And I guarantee that at least one female a week will go through her heat, and about a third of them will want you to mate with them. Plus some of us go through multiple heats a year, depending on the species. Like Natalia for example, she goes through four heats a year, so expect her to come back to you some time in a month."**

All the talk of him having sex with so many females was making him horny, and within seconds his member was suddenly at full mast once again. "Lucy." He said, turning to look at his Absol.

" **Yes?"** She asked curiously, tilting her head in confusion as to what he wanted.

He smiled seductively, placing his hands on her body and pulling her sex over his member. "The only thing more amazing than your body, is how you talk to me my love."

Lucy grinned as he thrust inside her again, moaning as they began to go another round.

(Scar's PoV)

Scar waited inside one of the empty royal chambers set aside for bodyguards or other elders with one of his two sons, Vicious, a Houndoom who became known for his ferocity in a fight, second only to Scar's.

" **So that's what you must do son."** He said after explaining the details of his plan to kill the human and reclaim his position. **"You understand what must be done correct?"**

" **Yes father."** He said sternly. **"So what will that mean for me and my brother if we succeed?"**

" **You two will be given positions of power, above even the Prime Mates when I reclaim my position as Leader!"** He said with a smirk. **"Not only will you be able to claim your own mates from any of the females of the pack, but you'll be able to have any female you want whenever you want!"**

Vicious smirked as those words were said and they stood up to leave. **"Remember though, you must do everything perfectly, if this is to succeed."** Scar whispered.

" **Don't worry, I know what to do."** He said back as they watched two Furfrou's walk past, one of them was Elder Jen, and the other was the recently named 'Second Prime Mate' Sophia. **"She's all alone, with no Leader to protect her."** He commented as the two Furfrou's headed toward the Lake Chamber.

" **Remember what you have to do Vicious."** Scar whispered as he walked out first.

" **I know… but that doesn't mean I can't have fun before then…"** He replied with a smirk. **"I bet she's tight… oh I can tell just by how she walks… she's tight alright. She's probably so tight I could make her bleed…"**

Scar snickered as he watched his son walk eagerly ahead of him to follow and watch his 'prey'. He was surprised that the little Furfrou was walking all alone without her 'human' to escort her, but that would only prove beneficial to his plan.

Oh how he wanted to join his son in the fun he was sure to have, but Scar had to prepare his plans. And that means letting his son have his way with the Furfrou however he wanted alone.

" **Oh 'leader'…"** He whispered. **"I can't wait to see the look of shock on your face, when you've discovered the state my son has left your 'Second Prime Mate' in, after an hour with him."**


	10. Chapter 9

_*United you are by a single destiny…*_

 _*Divided you were only by distance…*_

 _*Your fate's are shared, what befalls one, befalls all.*_

=Chapter 9, Crime and Punishment=

(Sophia's PoV)

" **So you're telling me you've never once had a trim?"** Sophia asked Jen, the elder Furfrou on the Council of Elders, essentially advisors to the pack members. **"My dear you have no idea what you're missing out on! Getting a trim for your fur is absolutely fabuleux, I speak from experience!"**

" **Oh I can tell, you certainly have had a few trims in your past."** Jen said with a soft chuckle. **"I suppose our Leader gave them to you?"**

Sophia chuckled as well as she remembered the one time where David did try to trim her, but accidentally cut her fur so short she hardly looked like a Furfrou. It was thoroughly embarrassing for her, but hilarious for them to talk about. She remembered refusing to come out from their cabin for weeks until her fur grew back.

" **Well he tried to at least, but in the end we stuck with professional trimmers rather than try to save money."** She said as they walked to get a drink of water.

Unlike David's chamber, which not only had a water bowl and bath tub, the elder's chambers did not have access to running water to allow them to drink fresh water in their rooms, leaving them to wait to bathe each day in clean water as the water slowly drained and was replaced by their makeshift sewer system. Instead they had to walk to the underground lake chamber if they wanted to get a drink.

While this was a pain according to Sophia, Jen said that it was the elders themselves who had arranged it this way. She explained to the house pet Furfrou that some Pokemon that became Elders tried to use to position to become lazy like a Snorlax, so to ensure they got around and at least tried to do their duties and interact with the pack members, they were required to get any drinks of water from the lake chamber. This was also true for food, as all food was stored in the winter reserves when it was being preserved, before being pulled out for the pack to eat.

While she complained that it was annoying having to walk every time she just wanted a drink, she accepted it because it was her duty to talk to the members of the pack seeking her council.

" **Honestly young one, what I would give to be your age again."** Jen chuckled. **"Sounds like you and our leader had quite a lot of fun before coming here."**

" **Oh I say we did!"** Sophia said with a smile. **"The stories I could tell you, why I recall this one time where he slipped and fell on top of me when he was sixteen. He was getting out of the shower with me, mind you he was wearing a towel prior to falling because he was giving me a bath, but he very nearly claimed my first time then!"**

" **He almost claimed you as his, by accident?"** Jen asked politely. **"Well this is a first, never heard of something like that happening."**

" **Yes, he slipped and fell on top of me as we were getting out of the bath. Slipped, pushed me underneath him by accident, and wouldn't ya know, his member was a few inches from entering me."** She told her, still marveling at how narrow that event had been. **"Of course we tried to forget it as best we could, but a girl never forgets her first time… or near first time as well."**

Jen chuckled even harder as they walked down the passage toward the Lake Chamber. While they walked Sophia marveled at how nice the elder Furfrou was, despite knowing of her tragic life. Unfortunately Sophia was not known for being one to leave a question unasked, and so after nearly three hours of conversing with the elder, finally decided to ask the question.

" **Elder Jen… I know of your past, David and I heard of it while we were with Pack Delica."** She said worriedly, wondering how the elder would react. **"Why are you so cheerful, after everything that has happened to you in life?"**

At that Jen stopped chuckling, but still smiled, though it was a very sad smile that she wore. **"So you've heard of that have you?"** She asked sadly. **"I just live each day as best I can."**

" **But you lost your son and your husband!"** Sophia whispered. **"I would be devastated if anything were to happen to my David, I'd probably die just to avoid going through life without him."**

" **They wouldn't have wanted me to die, though I very nearly gave up living."** Jen whispered, looking at the ground as she slow walked. **"I knew that they would have wanted me to live, to share my wisdom and years of living to those who did live and would live. So I did the only thing I could young one, I lived… one day at a time. Eventually became an elder, and made peace with my past and life."** She looked up at Sophia and smiled. **"I can tell you deeply love your human, it reminds me of me and my mate. Treasure him Sophia, he is the most wonderful thing in your life as your mate. Treasure him as I treasured my mate, because there may come a day when he may be taken from you without a second's thought. Then all you'll have to remember him by… are memories."**

Sophia nodded as they continued to walk, swearing she would treasure every moment with David, as long as he had breath in her body.

Just as they were about to walk into the lake chamber, a pair of Luxrays, male and female, approached them. **"Elder Jen, Elder Jen!"** The male said, causing her and Jen to stop. **"Elder Jen, my mate and I have need of your wisdom for a moment. May we please speak to you?"**

" **Do you want me to wait ma'am?"** Sophia asked.

" **Oh no, go on and get a drink, I do this every day. I'll be a while, because where one member needs my wisdom, another is sure to follow"** Jen said turning to look at the two Luxrays. **"Now what can I help you two with?"**

Sophia nodded and walked on ahead into the lake chamber, admiring how few Pokemon were in the chamber despite how large the space was. She saw that while there were a few Pokemon in the chamber, most of them were just finishing eating or drinking and leaving to prepare for the night, meaning she would soon have the entire chamber to herself. Wanting some privacy because she wasn't interested in talking after all of the morbid talks she just had. Seeing a nice spot on one side of the chamber where there were a few Stalagmites that gave her some privacy, as well as gave a sense of peace and serenity that she sorely needed right now, she walked over to it and began taking several soft drinks from the lake.

 _ ***I wonder how David is doing right now.***_ She thought to herself as she laid down next to the water. _***Knowing Lucy, she's probably got him all to herself now. No doubt she's probably mated him at least twice by now, if I know her well enough she'll at least try to go two rounds with him.***_

As she thought about mating her human again, she subconsciously rubbed her stomach, imagining it becoming swollen in the coming months. She smiled at that thought, imagining her very first egg, and showing David that it was his egg. Oh how she imagined finding out if and when she became pregnant. She honestly didn't know if she could get pregnant with David, but she could hope and pretend, and maybe if luck were on their side and Arceus smiled upon them, his seed would somehow find root inside of her, and give her that one gift she wanted now that they were no longer just a master and his pet Furfrou.

She could picture it now, waking up one morning and stretching, before noticing that her stomach was noticeably larger. Then she would feel that warm funny feeling that comes when a female learns that she is now a mother, and feeling the even more proud emotion that comes from the knowledge of who it was who impregnated her, knowing that she was made a mother by the one she loved deeply.

She was already planning what her days would be when she found out, she would lay down each day in her soft bed with a blanket wrapped around her to keep both her and her egg inside of her warm. She would have a female member of the pack bring her food each day to keep her strong and healthy, thus ensuring her egg was kept safe. Finally she would snuggle next to her egg's father, and feel him rub her enlarged stomach, asking how many eggs she was carrying and what genders they would be, before softly planting a kiss on her lips and telling him how proud he was of her as well as how much he loved her.

Then she would wait day after day, eagerly watching each day pass by as she carried his egg safe inside of her, awaiting the day she would give birth to it. Then they would watch it hatch and find out at long last, what gender it was, and the following debate of what to name their first born pup.

" **If it's a girl… Sophie… after Lucy's nickname for me."** She whispered to herself, rubbing her stomach again with a warm smile. **"If it's a boy… Dave… after David."**

She closed her eyes and began imagining a new life, a future version of herself as she sat in their chamber, sitting in David's lap with a large belly full of pups while a litter of Furfrou pups ran around them. She pictured David picking up one of the pups and nuzzling it with his nose even as said pup nuzzled his, then he smiled and one by one, picked up the pups and placed them with their mother, so that they could sleep with her, safe and sound for the night.

As they curled up to sleep, she imagined Lucy walking in with her own pups, maybe three or four, as well as her own enlarged stomach, smiling proudly as she walked over and laid down next to David, mirroring Sophia's stance and having her pups curl up for sleep.

She smiled happily as the sweet picture played out in her mind, so happy that she no longer was afraid of calling David her love and expressing it.

" **Oh David… I can't wait… till I become a mother… with your pups."**

(Vicious' PoV)

Vicious silently followed the Furfrou pair, making sure to look like he was just minding his own business to any passersby. Yet all the while he watched and admired the small body of the younger Furfrou, wondering just how good she felt.

As they walked they almost entered the lake chamber, before a pair of Luxrays approached the elder and began conversing with her. The younger Furfrou moved on alone to the chamber, leaving the elder behind to talk to the Luxray couple.

" **Heh, she's making this easy on me, I like it."** He whispered as he walked past the three Pokemon who ignored him.

As he watched he saw that the Furfrou had walked to a section of the lake to drink from which had a few Stalagmites to block his view of her slightly, but it only helped because the chamber was quickly emptying as Pokemon prepared for sleep. Meaning in a matter of minutes it would be him and that Furfrou whore all alone.

" **This is too easy."** He commented as he sat down and bided his time, pretending to be relaxing as he watched the Furfrou from where he was.

After about ten minutes of waiting, and with no sign of any pack members nearby, he decided it was time to make his move. He got up and angled his approach so that the Furfrou, the 'Second Prime Mate' could not get away from him.

Thinking of how tight she might be was making his member poke out from its sheath, and he was eager to taste her.

(Sophia's PoV)

Sophia stared out at the water, feeling calm as she took another drink before she decided it was best to get back to David's chamber, knowing it was almost time for bed. She stood up and was about to turn around when a soft growl caused her to stop.

" **Don't worry about getting up, you're going to be on the ground anyway."** A sinister voice whispered.

She spun around instantly saw a Houndoom behind her, for a moment she thought it was this Scar that she kept hearing about, but no this one was healthy and young. He stood four feet tall and had extremely sharp claws with fangs to match. He also had two very prominently curved horns that curved behind him on his head, and his eyes were glaring at her with a hungry stare that frightened her.

Yet it wasn't the eyes that caused her to worry, it was his member that she saw poking out because of his angle of approach. She knew what he wanted, why he was approaching her, there was no doubt in her mind what he had come here for.

" **What do you want?"** She said, backing up slowly as far as she could away from him, glancing from side to side as she tried to find a way to escape.

" **I think you can figure that out yourself sweetie."** He said smugly, stepping closer and closer to her.

" **Yes I can but you can't touch me!"** She said hopefully, trying to intimidate him. **"I'm the Pack Leader's Second Prime Mate! You're not allowed to touch me!"**

That only caused him to chuckle as he was now only a few feet from her. **"Which means you'll feel the best out of every other female in the pack!"** He whispered with a grin.

" **I'm warning you, I'll scream!"** She yelled, looking from side to side hopefully.

That only caused him to chuckle even more as now only a foot separated them. **"Go ahead… it's just you and me here… and I like it when my females scream."** He said.

Sophia knew what he was going to do to her, but she refused to let herself be touched by any male besides David, and she sure wasn't going to let this male rape her without a fight. She growled threateningly, showing her teeth in the hopes of intimidating him, but she knew it was futile, she was just a house bred and house trained Furfrou. Sure she could fight bullies and old ladies, but a wild Pokemon, especially a Houndoom?

She didn't stand a chance, all she could hope for was to get past him and make a run for it.

Trying to faint him, she made to run left and jumped right, but he saw it coming and head-butted her back, shoving her on her back. Knowing she was in trouble, she tried to get back up, but he once again the Houndoom showed his strength and smacked her to the side, slamming her into the stalagmite.

She yelped in pain as she was injured, but her fur absorbed the brunt of the damage, which could not be said for her ever growing fear.

She looked up as the Houndroom approached her, slowly advancing as she whimpered in fear. **"Please don't do this!"** She begged. **"Just leave me alone, let me go and I won't tell David about this!"**

He only grinned as he leaned over her, now using his front paws to position her as she tried to push herself away. **"Where's the fun in that?"** He whispered. **"I haven't had any fun for over a year, and I've always wanted to know what your species feels like…"**

Sophia began to panic as she tried to get away, but all she got for her trouble was a smack of his paw, causing a gash to appear in her muzzle as his claws swiped her. Then she began to feel absolute terror as he began to toy with her, leaning forward to lick her muzzle, staring at him with wide eyes as he grinned wickedly at her. **"I've been building up you know…"** He whispered into her ear. **"I can't wait to see the pups we make…"**

At that thought, the thought of bearing this Houndoom's pups, and having that lovely image from before shattered because this male raped her, drove her to take drastic actions.

She would not have his pups, she would never have this Houndoom's pups. She would rather die than suffer that face, she swore to be only her master's, to only mate with him.

As she kicked, bit, thrashed and did all she could to throw the Houndoom off of her, she failed to notice that her left eye was beginning to sting slightly, but she had other concerns. She tried her hardest to push her attacker off yet he was just too strong for her. Then her thrashing caused her sex to line up with his member, forcing her to freeze instantly in fear as he grinned, before beginning to press into her.

" **No… NOOOOO!"** She screeched in desperation, as the tip was about to enter. **"DAVIIIIIIIIIID!** "

(Lancelot's PoV)

" **Well that wasn't too bad."** Karen said as she led the foragers through the entrance to the den, back just an hour before bed. **"I figured with all the talk of these Wingulls raiding, they'd put up a bigger fight."**

Lancelot and Karen walked back down the tunnel with a chuckle, admiring at how well the foragers were able to gather the berries with speed and precision. Yet as they walked back he couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.

" **What do you expect, they were Wingulls and you…"** Lancelot said before a sudden flash appeared before his eyes.

He was watching as he kicked, bit, thrashed and did all he could to throw the Houndoom off of him. In desperation he tried his hardest to push his attacker off yet he was just too strong for her. Then his thrashing caused something to line up, and this realization instantly froze in fear as the attacker, a Houndoom, grinned before beginning to apply pressure.

" **No… NOOOOO!"** He heard a female voice, which sounded like Sophia's, screech in desperation. **"DAVIIIIIIIIIID!** "

As the vision vanished, he returned to normal and glanced at Karen, who also had stopped in her tracks, apparently seeing the same thing. **"Did you just hear Sophia?"** She asked.

" **Yes, she's in trouble!"** He said. **"The Lake Chamber!"**

" **COME ON!"** Karen shouted, ignoring the confused looks of the foragers as they ran full speed to the lake chamber.

(David's PoV)

" **So how was the visit to Pack Delica?"** Lucy asked as David put the last of his clothes on.

"Oh you know, it was alright." He said. "I have to admit though, the way they designed their den after inspiration from…"

He stopped talking as he saw a sudden flash and feeling that he was looking at the world through another's eye. He was watching as he kicked, bit, thrashed and did all he could to throw a Houndoom off of him. In desperation he tried his hardest to push his attacker off yet he was just too strong for her. Then his thrashing caused something to line up, and this realization instantly froze in fear as the attacker, a Houndoom, grinned before beginning to apply pressure.

" **No… NOOOOO!"** He heard a female voice, which sounded like Sophia's, screech in desperation. **"DAVIIIIIIIIIID!** "

As the vision ended he clutched at his eye, remembering how this was similar to before when Scar attacked him. He had seen everything in that momentary vision through Lucy's eye, now he thought he had seen it through Sophia's this time.

" **Sophia…"** Lucy whispered, showing that she had also seen that vision.

"Come on!" He shouted, throwing his last shoe on and running out of their chamber, toward the lake chamber.

(Sophia's PoV)

" **NOOOOO!"** Sophia screamed as she desperately shoved at the Houndoom, trying to keep his member from entering her, but it was a feeble attempt as she barely had the strength to keep him off her for long.

" **That's it, struggle!"** He moaned in pleasure as he continued to try pushing into her. **"The more you struggle, the more I'll enjoy it!"** As she kicked her legs, hoping to injure him in another way, he grinned even more fiercely. **"Oh yes… with legs like that, you'll make a great mother for my pups!"**

" **SOMEONE HELP ME!"** She screamed as she threw the last of her strength into resisting.

Then, just as she began to lose hope in preserving herself, ensuring that nobody else claimed her but David, a huge wave of water rushed under them. Causing them both to look up and see Terrance glaring angrily at them, staring at the scene before them.

The Houndoom had only a brief moment to register what was happening, before Terrance let loose a Hydro Pump and blasted him off of Sophia and slamming into the wall on the far side. Then the Lapras pushed himself back into the water before surging forward, giving Sophia just enough time to scramble up and get out of the way before he rode the wave he made to crash through the small stalagmites.

As the Houndoom tried to stand back up, Terrance shot another Hydro Pump at him, further injuring Sophia's attacker, before he changed it into an Ice Beam. Coupled with the water that was still soaking the Houndoom, the Ice Beam froze everything around him, encasing him in a shell of Ice and leaving only his head exposed with sharpened edges poking every part of him, preventing him from moving.

Now that the Houndoom was encased in ice, Sophia began to shakily calm down, realizing that she was safe. She looked at Terrance who was still glaring at her attacker. **"Thank you Terrance…"** She said shakily.

Terrance nodded and only turned to see a group of Pokemon entering the chamber from the entrance. Among them was Lancelot and Karen, who quickly ran over to Sophia. **"Sophia, are you alright?"** Lancelot shouted, ignoring the Houndoom while Karen ran, pulling her stick out of her tail and lighting it. **"What happened to you?"**

" **He… he…"** Sophia whimpered, nodding to the Houndoom who was encased in ice. **"He tried… to… to…"**

"What's going on here?" A human voice yelled out, and Sophia saw David entering now, with several Pokemon behind him, including Lucy.

" **David!"** Sophia shouted, getting up and rushing to her human master and lover.

Instantly when she could, she jumped and slammed into his chest, knocking the wind out of him as he fell to the ground. But she didn't care, she was his and his alone, and now that she was in his arms she felt safe once again.

(David's PoV)

As Sophia charged into him, knocking him down, he felt her shuddering in fear within his grasp. "Sophia, what's wrong?" He asked as Lucy ran up next to him with a worried expression, followed by Lancelot and Karen as he noticed Terrance uncharacteristically on land. "Terrance, what's going on here?"

Terrance looked over at him with an angry expression before turning to stare at a Houndoom, which was trapped in a frozen cage next to the wall. **"This Houndoom attempted to rape Sophia, and would have succeeded had I not spotted it happening."**

" **It's true… it's true!"** Sophia moaned feebly, curling up in his lap as she tried to cuddle as close as she could to him. **"He was on top of me… he was about to penetrate me… he said he was going to get me pregnant!"**

Looking at the Houndoom David felt a sense of anger bubble up as he comforted his Furfrou, his second Prime Mate Sophia. "What's his name?" He asked Terrance.

" **He's called Vicious, son of Scar."** Terrance said.

At the name 'Scar' David knew he didn't like the Houndoom, and decided to protect Sophia from further harm before anything. "Lucy, take Sophia back to our Chamber." He ordered. "Keep her safe, tell any males you come across to stay away until I explain at a meeting later today."

" **No… don't leave me alone!"** Sophia whined, looking up at him fearfully. **"What if he tries again, what if someone else tries? Pease don't leave me alone David!"**

David leaned down and kissed Sophia gently, not in passion but to comfort her, and let her know that she was safe. After she stopped shaking he looked at her and told her again, "Go with Lucy Sophia, I promise you'll be safe. No one will hurt you."

Sophia nodded and whimpered slightly as she left his embrace and followed Lucy, who glared at any male who was even an inch too close for her liking.

He looked up at the Houndoom, just as said Houndoom glared back at him. "Lancelot, Karen, with me." He said. "The rest of you, leave us, and I want someone to awake Yara and Nera and inform them to call the entire pack together for an emergency meeting."

There were several nods of understanding as Pokemon began filtering out of the room, while David, flanked by his two Pokemon who glared with anger at Vicious. "Alright, Vicious… here's how it's going to go." He said when he was next to the Pokemon. "You're going to explain just why you found it necessary to attempt to rape my Second Prime Mate. Now start talking."

Vicious merely growled back before responding. **"I am a Houndoom!"** He growled. **"I wanted a strong and beautiful mate for my own, and your Furfrou was the only one in the entire pack that was… unique."**

At that David found himself wanting to hurt this Houndoom, but restrained himself because Vicious was just trying to egg him on. "Tell me this Vicious, did Scar put you up to this?" He asked.

" **As if!"** He said with a laugh. **"That old hound, he lost to a human, I would sooner go for a swim than listen to that idiot!"**

"So what you're saying is that you chose to hurt my Second Prime Mate, because you wanted her as your mate?" He growled angrily. "I suppose letting you go is out of the question, because if I do you'll just try and hurt her again. Am I right?"

Vicious merely grinned before nodding. **"I can't help being what I am, she's quite a 'catch', so I will claim her as my own!"** He said.

"We'll see about that." David whispered angrily. "Karen, get him out of there, Lancelot, when she does, take him and escort him to the meeting chamber, Ask one of the pack members to show you where. If he tries anything, and I mean ANYTHING…" He glared at the Houndoom before turning to leave. "I want you to break all four of his legs, am I clear?"

" **With pleasure."** Karen whispered.

He turned to look at Terrance and offered to help him back to the water, but Terrance shook his head. **"Don't worry David, I can manage on my own."** He said, shuffling slowly with his fins and dragging himself one foot at a time back to the water. **"Just go to your mates David. That is where you are needed now."**

David left the lake chamber and walked to his chamber, where he knew Sophia was currently being protected by Lucy. After about five minutes of walking, he heard the sobbing moans of his Furfrou within his chamber, knowing that she was still terrified from her experience. "Sophia?" He asked as he walked in.

Lucy was comforting Sophia as best she could, trying to nuzzle the Furfrou gently to calm her down. When he entered Lucy got up and moved aside to let David sit next to her and hold her close. **"David?"** She whimpered, still shivering slightly.

"It's alright Sophia, your safe now." He whispered quietly, leaning and holding her close to him. "Your safe and sound now, there's no need to worry about him anymore. He's not going to hurt you ever again."

Sophia nodded in reassurance as she licked him in gratitude, showing she trusted her human lover and master's word. **"Thank you…"** She said. **"He was so close… so close!"** She moaned sadly, shedding new tears over him. **"He almost took me… I was so afraid he would mate me, and I'd be forced to have his pups!"**

"It's alright Sophia, it's alright." He said, stroking her fur to calm her down.

" **I don't want pups… not if they're not yours!"** She said, looking at him with determined eyes. **"I want your pups… I want to give 'you' pups David… not another male, only you! I want to know you made me a mother… to know that the egg I carry is your egg as well as mine! I'd rather die than let another male impregnate me!"**

He smiled, loving how dedicated and faithful his beloved Furfrou was to him, but knew that he would never want her to die just to avoid that fate. He would never let that ever happen to her, it was as Lucy told him the night before. They were his and his alone. Just like he loved them and only them. No matter what, he would love them.

"Don't worry Sophia, I assure you that you won't have to worry about feeling that fear ever again." He said, picking her up and pulling her into a soft kiss. "Because the only one who will ever get you pregnant will be me, I promise you Sophia. I don't care how long it takes, or how many times we have to try. You, Lucy and I will become parents, eventually. I will make you a mother, somehow, some way, and I'll be the one to get you pregnant."

At that Sophia smiled and began crying again, but this time tears of joy as she nuzzled him lovingly, reaffirming their relationship as lovers. Lucy joined them as well, softly nuzzling David's cheek as well, also reaffirming her relationship to him as his first Prime Mate.

" **LEADER!"** A voice cried out from outside their chamber, and it sounded like Yara. **"All of the pack is assembled and waiting for you!"**

He nodded and got up, silently telling Lucy to stay with Sophia, while he dealt with Vicious, and soon after him Scar.

=The Meeting Chamber=

David sat before the pack as a whole, staring at them all as they stared at him, curious about why he had summoned them all together. When Yara and Nera confirmed that everyone was ready, decided to get started, though he looked and spotted Scar sitting at one side of the pack, looking just as curious and confused as the rest. But he didn't buy the act.

"Attention members of Pack David!" He shouted, silencing any conversations happening at the time. "Just a few minutes ago, my Second Prime Mate, Sophia, was attacked by a member of this pack, with no regard for her status. This member of the pack attempted to rape her, claim her as his own, and boasted he would forcibly impregnate her. We are here today to witness this criminal's punishment, so that no one will mistake its importance."

He looked over to a small fire which indicated Karen's position off to the side, where she and Lancelot were waiting with Vicious in custody and under watch. "Bring him here!" He shouted.

Walking slowly Karen led the Houndoom with her stick out and ready for battle, while Lancelot walked behind, watching his every step as they marched Vicious to a spot in front of David where the entire pack could see him. Once he was in place, Lancelot kicked out Vicious' rear legs and forced him to the floor.

Vicious looked up at him with a glaring expression, but could do nothing in front of both David's Pokemon and the whole pack. "Vicious, son of Scar…" David said, before glancing at Scar to see his reaction. "Your crime at attempted rape against my Second Prime Mate has left her scarred, mentally and physically. She is now afraid to leave my chamber as long as you are out there, afraid that you might attempt to hurt her again. For this crime there is no defense, for not only did she state precisely what you did, Terrance the Water Guardian of the den's underground lake and protector of our food reserves for the winter season, also spoke as to what you attempted to do."

"There is no defense that you could hope to bring to absolve you of this crime. Therefore, you shall receive punishment suitable for your crime!" He said. "However… because I have never dealt with an issue like this, I do not know what punishments are suitable for your crime. So therefore, my advisors will tell us if there are any situations in the past that can give us a suitable punishment."

He glanced to Yara and Nera who were sitting beside him on both sides, like feline sentries. They nodded and began speaking to the pack as well.

" **Many generations ago, according to elder Nayru, one male attempted to and succeeded in raping the Prime Mate of the pack's leader, while he was away."** Nera said. **"Another generation later, also according to Nayru, another Prime Mate was also raped, on two occasions. The males involved in these crimes received varying punishments, each one given based on the Leader at the time."**

Yara nodded at his sister and spoke up next. **"The first punishment which our leader may give, is the most basic and just for this crime!"** He declared. **"If our leader wishes it, Vicious will suffer death for his crime!"**

A few Pokemon cried that he deserved it, others merely cheered, and a very few remained silent. David noticed that Scar was among those who remained silent.

" **The second punishment, which our leader may give, is more merciful, but also suits the crime!"** Nera said. **"If he wishes, he may banish Vicious for his crime, upon penalty of death should he be discovered attempting to return. All of the pack is ordered to kill the banished one, should they discover him within our territory. Vicious will be allowed to live, but is not to be welcomed back into the pack while our Leader still lives."**

Many Pokemon of the pack cried that he should suffer more than just banishment, while others also cheered in approval of that punishment. Again though, Scar and some others remained silent.

Yet David noticed that Vicious was merely smirking as Nera and Yara listed the two punishments. As though he knew David would choose the second one, which he would, unless the third one seemed more suitable.

" **The third and final punishment, is unorthodox but was also used to punish the offensive Pokemon."** Yara said, and this time he hesitated, as though he didn't want to say it, but continued to talk after a moment. **"If our leader wishes it, we will commence with this third punishment. Immediate and total 'Castration' of the offending Pokemon, before the entire pack as a whole. With the offender being forced to endure the act while conscious."**

At that, Vicious suddenly went wide eyed, as though he were suddenly standing on his own grave. The Pokemon gathered all cheered in approval of this, with not one single member saying or hinting he deserved worse or less. Scar too glanced nervously at his son, but remained silent still.

Both Yara and Nera turned to him and nodded, signaling that they were finished. **"These are the punishments that are suitable for this crim."** Nera said. **"If you wish to punish him in another way, that is what you may do, and the pack will carry it out."**

" **What will you decide leader?"** Yara asked.

David looked at Vicious, and saw that he was no longer looking confident like before, in fact he looked terrified of David now. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before speaking slowly and clearly.

"For his crime, he should receive a punishment fitting his crime." He said. "Public Castration would be the most appropriate… however…" He looked at Vicious and shook his head. "However, to put Vicious through that, even knowing what he did to my Second Prime Mate, is too horrible even for me to utter. It would be cruel and unusual to him, so I will spare him that penalty."

At that Vicious sighed in relief. "My beliefs also prevent me from sentencing you to death Vicious, despite what you have done." David also said. "I believe that all life deserves to live, no matter what life it is. So you shall be spared death. This only leaves, the second option." He looked down at the Houndoom and declared in a loud and clear voice. "Vicious, I decree that you are hereby BANISHED, under penalty of death! You are forbidden from returning to our territory while I am Leader, and if you are discovered within our territory, whoever finds you will kill you on sight."

At that a few Pokemon cheered and complained that he deserved worse, but they accepted his choice.

"However… just because you are banished from our territory, does not mean you will be conscious to see where you're going to go… Lancelot!" He shouted, looking at his Lucario. "CLOSE COMBAT!"

Lancelot rushed at Vicious and began attacking Vicious with a rapid series of punches for a few seconds before jumping away, revealing Vicious was completely unconscious. Lancelot had hit him hard enough to cause him to faint.

"I want six volunteers to take Vicious outside of our territory's border to the north, Karen will escort you to protect you and ensure Vicious does not try anything!" He said, and immediately several Growlithe and Vulpix's stepped forward. "Everyone else, you're free to go now." At his declaration all those pack members still sitting began to leave. "Everyone except, Scar."

Five minutes later, everyone left, with exception to Scar, him, Lancelot, Yara and Nera. When he was sure they were alone, he told Yara and Nera to go and rest, saying they've had a long day. When they too had left, David approached Scar with Lancelot behind him, ready to fight and defend if necessary.

"I noticed you were quiet while your son was on trial." David said, glaring at the Houndoom that was the former leader of this pack.

" **What he did was of his own doing, he deserved whatever fate you'd give him."** Scar growled, not meeting David's eye.

"Even though he was your son, you didn't even bother to speak up in his defense." He whispered. "You quietly sat there and watched everything happen, even as his possible punishments were listed off, one by one. It was like you did not care what would happen to him one way or another." He said, glaring at Scar. "It was almost as though that whole thing was staged, like you knew what would happen."

" **I won't deny that I did not care what would happen to him."** Scar replied with a piercing glare, matched by David. **"But as I am not Leader of this pack… what I think… doesn't matter. If he wanted to violate your Prime Mate, knowing she was yours, that's his choice. I had no idea that he was planning to claim your mate for his own, and for that I am sorry…"**

"Let's get one thing straight Scar!" David interrupted angrily. "I don't care what you think about me, it's clear you still hate me because of your distrust of humans and now you have more reason because I'm the Pack Leader." He stared into the Houndoom's eyes, matching the glare the former pack leader gave him with his own. "I've learned quite a bit about you over the last week since I've been Pack Leader. You took quite a few of your liberties to heart while you were leader. You violated many of the females in this pack, forcing them to bear your young while killing off any males they had, to the point where they were begging me to spare their pups, offering to let me violate them if it would give their pups a chance to live!"

"Pack Delica didn't hold you in high regard, as they didn't want to 'honor' you with entertainment in the forms of their females either. You forced many of your sired offspring on them, with no regard to the mothers. I may not be the perfect leader Scar, but based on what I've seen and done so far, compared to you I've been a better leader for this pack in one week, than you have for years. From what I've witnessed by how this pack reacts to what I say compared to how you treated them, they had more to fear from you, Scar, than the human you threatened would be their end!"

Both of them glared at each other, silently wishing horrible things to befall upon the other. "Now you will listen and take to heart what I say here." David whispered. "I don't care what you may be planning, if you are planning anything! Hurt me all you want, because I don't care if you do anything to me! But remember… I will do everything in my power to protect myself. And be warned, if I ever find out that you had anything to do with this assault against Sophia, you will share your son's fate!" He glanced at Lancelot who nodded and stepped closer, ready to fight if needed while David inched closer to Scar. "And also… if you ever threaten my lovers, or my friends in any way shape or form… I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

With that he stood straight and walked away with Lancelot behind him.


	11. Chapter 10

_*It was the only way to save you…*_

 _*It was the only option they would accept…*_

 _*I knew there would be conflicts, the moment I made the choice.*_

=Chapter 10, Heated Affairs=

(David's PoV)

"Alright, I've dealt with all of the issues for the day and don't need to deal with the elders for now." He said as he, Sophia and Lucy walked down to the lake chamber with Karen and Lancelot behind. "Time to go see if Terrance has an idea about our marks or not."

" **Do you think he'll have anything new to tell us?"** Sophia asked curiously.

" **If he does it better not take forever."** Lucy said, walking extremely close to David.

It had been two weeks since Vicious attacked Sophia, and his subsequent banishment from the pack. Since then David has taken care of and led the pack with leadership that surprised him at times. No longer was he concerned about failing the pack or messing up as leader, not now that he was seeing the impact his actions and decrees were having on its members.

After Vicious was banished, he had Karen keep an eye on Scar for the next few days, keeping tabs on who he spoke to and where he went before bed. Other than his son, she reported he did nothing out of the ordinary, though he did show some attitude toward a few members of the pack. In particular a pair of female Luxio's who walked past him, and a female Mightyena who was getting a drink from the lake while he was there.

However, because Karen was nearby and watching his every move, he did nothing more than that each time he saw she was watching.

Lucy made sure to give Scar no time to plan anything, as he was always assigned to guarding foragers alone, so that he had no chance to speak to anyone in the pack who might have favored him. She also told David of Scar's second son, named Ardent, who was the same age as Vicious. He was suspecting that perhaps Ardent was planning something as well, but Ardent showed no signs or even concern as to what his brother did.

In fact according to Karen and Lancelot, he was avoiding his father almost as much as Karen was watching Scar. Lancelot said he would avoid eye contact if he and his father were ever in the same tunnel, and often tried to get assigned to forager groups or night guard where his father wasn't present. He also made sure to eat whenever his father was out guarding the foragers, or even eating what food the foragers found while on guard duty.

As far as David was told so far, Ardent was more interested in carrying out his duties that he and Lucy gave him, then he was in hurting anyone or drawing any attention.

He'd also noticed that Yara and Nera were being far more active than usual, with exception to that day. He hadn't seen them all day, which was odd considering how much they were working for him, constantly offering their advice and asking if he needed them for anything. Their absence that day was quite worrying for him, but he figured they were just doing whatever task Lucy might have assigned them.

As for why they were going to visit Terrance, well after meeting Karen and Lancelot, he said he had some more ideas now but wanted to think about them before saying them.

" **Whatever Terrance says may explain how we all know each other!"** Karen said excitedly. **"How can you want him to hurry up something as important as that?"**

 **(Indeed, why do you want him to rush an explanation?)** Lancelot asked psychically, something which slightly annoyed David because he constantly reverted between talking psychically and verbally. **(Wouldn't you want to find out the mystery of these marks? Despite how they brought us together we still don't understand them.)**

Lucy scoffed off Lancelot's words and merely continued walking. **"Well you can have Terrance explain all you want, I've known him long enough to know that he's got more words in him than a Chatot."** Lucy said in frustration. **"I just want me and my mate to get back to our chamber as quick as we can!"**

Another thing that happened during the two weeks since Vicious' attack on Sophia and subsequent banishment, was that she, David, and Lucy had not mated once.

He didn't push Sophia for it and didn't want to push himself on either of his Prime Mates out of fear that it might bring up fears or bad memories of the act, especially for Sophia. So they merely spent each night sleeping and merely enjoying one another's company and companionship.

However they couldn't stay that way for long, as not only was Lucy getting more frustrated with each day that went by without at least some kind of 'action' between them, her heat was now in full swing since that morning. Unfortunately not only was her heat not similar to Sophia's, which was only a partial because of it being suppressed for years by medicine, it was also the longest out of any species in their pack. She would be in heat for at the very least, one whole week, and at the longest a full month, during which she would mate until she either conceived or the heat passed.

Sophia's heat was also starting to act up again, and like before it wasn't a true heat, merely another suppressed heat flaring up due to her thoughts of David possibly mating with Lucy constantly over the next month. But unlike Lucy, Sophia's heat wasn't driving her nearly as much as Lucy's was.

" **Darling, you need to relax."** Sophia barked politely. **"Pushing things is only going to make them worse."**

" **Well it's getting worse by the hour!"** Lucy grunted.

They entered the lake chamber and approached the water's edge where they saw Terrance swimming, keeping an eye on the various Pokemon on land as well as the isolated land mass on the opposite side, where the food was stored.

At their approach he smiled and bowed his head politely. **"Leader David, it is good to see you again."** He said. **"What brings you here today?"**

" **We came to see if you had anything new to tell us about these marks."** Lucy said before anyone else could, and at her tone Terrance raised an eyebrow as well as smirked.

" **I take it you are in heat, Prime Mate?"** He asked with a chuckle, to which Lucy nodded. **"Oh David, I do not envy your position right now."** He said even more heartily. **"Last time Lucy was in heat, she asked me to ferry her across to the winter reserves so she could hide out and wait for it to pass. Took a few days of isolation and she was irritable the entire time, but eventually she got through it."**

" **Just start talking you windbag!"** Lucy snapped.

" **Alright, alright!"** Terrance said with another chuckle, not taking Lucy's anger to heart. **"Well, after you introduced me to Karen and Lancelot, I had a brainstorm about our marks. Now you two both explained that you were searching for your true master, or in Karen's case, here Original Trainer?"** He asked, to which both of them nodded. **"You had no idea who he was or if he was even out there, but you both knew deep down that your true master was indeed out there. And the moment you see David, you instantly know it is him, and deep down you know there is no doubt that he was who you were searching for. Correct?"**

Both Karen and Lancelot nodded in confirmation. **"This is only a theory, but based on everything I've learned, seen, and heard from every one of us, but I think that David might have been a Trainer."** Terrance said. **"You do know about the concept of reincarnation correct?"**

"Uh… for those of us who don't, why don't you explain." David said, knowing almost nothing about the idea.

Terrance nodded and closed his eyes in thought before explaining. **"At one point during my travels with my Pod, I began hearing of many concepts and ideas from the land based Pokemon. One of those, was Reincarnation, it's a spiritual belief that one's soul can be reborn after they die to begin life anew."** He said. **"When one is about to pass on, their soul leaves their body and is reborn into a new body, but what happens after that is different. I believe they said that the new life this soul takes on, is completely different and has no knowledge of their past life. But they might have brief glimpses of their past life in the form of dreams, yet these dreams will be very few and very short."**

" **So what you're essentially saying is that we were all reincarnated?"** Lucy said skeptically.

" **It's the best theory I have Lucy, if you believe in that concept anyway."** Terrance said sheepishly. **"However it's only a 'theory', the only way to prove it would be to… well besides the obvious route, go back in time and see if we can find ourselves."**

"Yea… I don't think that's going to happen." David said skeptically. "So was that all you had to tell us Terrance?"

" **For the most part yes, what are your thoughts on this?"** Terrance asked David, causing Lucy to groan in frustration.

"Well, if we were reincarnated, which I'm not sure is possible, forgive me for saying." He said, to which Terrance nodded in understanding. "If we were reincarnated, why all of us, and why would we all seek each other out specifically? I mean don't get me wrong, if I did have a past life and for logic's sake in this case, and I was indeed a trainer, what happened to me? Why would I seek out you all and you all seek me out specifically? I mean I'm just a writer… I'm not special or important in any way."

" **Not to us."** Karen said with a smile. **"You are important to us Master David."**

"Yes… but why?" He asked again.

" **Don't know, but I wouldn't trade what we have now for anything in the world!"** Sophia barked, and everyone agreed with her.

" **Well in any event, what I said is and only will be a theory, so don't think too hard on it."** Terrance said with a smile. **"I'll keep thinking about our situation, and if I come up with anything you might want to hear, I'll tell you."**

"Alright Terrance, thank you very much, have a nice day." David said, nodding to Terrance as he and the others left.

" **Take care!"** Terrance called back to him as they began to leave the lake chamber, heading to his chamber.

As they walked back, Lancelot asked to be excused because he wanted to 'train' alone for a few hours. Meanwhile Karen said she would stay with them and 'guard' the entrance to their chamber, for privacy reasons.

Several members of the pack walked by them on their way, and any males they encountered made sure to stay clear of them, clearly picking up Lucy's scent from her heat. Seeing this David glanced at Lucy to see that she was grinning with each step they took, as well as inching ever closer to him.

"Is there a reason why every male in the pack is avoiding us?" He asked Lucy.

" **I'm in heat, I'm your Prime Mate. You do the match."** She said with a smirk.

He gulped as he wondered just how much her heat affected her, knowing how it affected Sophia even though it wasn't really her heat, but a false heat induced by her arousal. He hoped that at the very least, Lucy wouldn't lose control of herself.

When they reached their chamber he noticed that there was still no sign of Yara or Nera, and wondered if there was perhaps something wrong with them. Once they reached it, Lucy instantly ran ahead of him, only pausing to sway her hips just a little and lift her tail up, giving him a nice view of her before running in, and grinning the entire time.

" **Well someone is eager…"** Sophia commented as she went next.

" **Alright, I'll stay out here to make sure nobody bothers you master."** Karen said just as David was about to enter. **"If anyone approaches I'll let them know you're busy."**

"Just… tell them I'm not to be disturbed at this time." He said with a blush, knowing that she was referring to David mating Lucy.

Just before he walked in he saw Karen look like she wanted to say something, but merely glanced away and nodded. Then he walked into his chamber and cleared his mind, knowing what was about to happen. Finally he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

(Multi PoV)

He opened his eyes and saw Lucy smirking as she stared at him, a glint in her eyes as she watched him approach with Sophia beside her and also smiling, though she at least had an embarrassed blush on her face. "I don't suppose I can get out of doing this this, can I?" He asked feebly, knowing the answer.

" **David, I waited eighteen years to mate with you, don't you dare refuse me now when I'm in my heat."** Lucy said with a fierce grin, before standing up and walking to him. **"We haven't done it in over two weeks, I can't stand it anymore."**

"Well Lucy, I only refused because…" He said as Lucy stood up on her rear legs to lock lips with him, pressing her tongue into his mouth and moaning happily.

While they tongue wrestled Lucy put her front legs on his shoulders, causing David to stroke her fur. After a few minutes they separated and she smiled lovingly at him, blushing deeply as she nuzzled his face. **"I know… but that was two weeks ago… and that's why I want to do this with you!"** She whispered softly. **"David I love you and Sophia loves you, so don't be afraid to mate with us ever… just because some male tried to claim us. What happened was terrible, but it's in the past now, it can't hurt us anymore."** She locked lips with him again but this time in a more romantic way before separating again. **"So make new memories with us, memories that will remind us of what we have, so that those horrible memories will never bother us ever again."**

Sophia nodded in agreement and walked up to David's left side, nuzzling his arm. **"Don't worry about me David, I'm not scared anymore with you nearby."** She said lovingly. **"So just enjoy yourself tonight, and let us enjoy 'you' tonight. Make love to us darling…"**

He nodded in understanding and began to pleasure both of his two Prime Mates, first going into a kissing contest with Lucy, while moving his hand behind and under Sophia's rear to pleasure her sex. At once both girls began to moan in pleasure, and Lucy began pushing herself closer to David while he undid his pants and undress one handed, using his other for Sophia.

When his pants were loose enough he pulled them down with Sophia's aid, eagerly helping him so she could gain access to his member, which was ever so slowly beginning to harden in response to what was happening. Lucy meanwhile continued to tongue wrestle her human lover, unable to hold herself back because of her heat driving her to mate him.

She was in absolute bliss feeling his tongue inside of her mouth, wrestling and playing inside of her while giving her a taste of her lover's mouth. _***Oh, I've not tasted him for two weeks… my body just wants him all the more now!***_ She thought happily, wishing he would just mount her already. _***Now that my heat has finally arrived, I can finally enjoy it now that I have a mate, I don't need to resort to my paw ever again. I just can't feel any happier, I can go through my heat happily!***_

Sophia was also feeling bliss as she began to lick her master's member, eager for him to begin and mate with them. She was feeling his fingers entering and rubbing the inside of her sex, making her feel more excited and interested in pleasing his member with her tongue. After a few seconds she took it into her mouth and began to please it even more, licking the base all the way to the tip.

She was grateful, so grateful that he withheld himself after she was nearly raped, but she missed his touch far more than she wanted to admit. After he returned that night, she was ready to mount him to erase the horrible memory, but instead she fell even more in love because he 'didn't' mount her. His restraint proved that what they had, was indeed what she longed for and hoped for: True Love.

It only made her desire to have his pups that much stronger, because she wanted to give a symbol of her love for him.

To show her love for him was real, and that she was ready to take that next step in their lives, parenthood.

"Mmmm…" David moaned while kissing his first Prime Mate, feeling very aroused as his second Prime Mate gave him the pleasure of her mouth.

After a few minutes of arousing one another, he felt Lucy getting impatient and shoved herself away. Turning around instantly, lowering her front half, and finally lifting her tail to reveal her puffed, wet, dripping sex to him. **"Please take me David, I can't take this anymore!"** She moaned. **"Please take me, soothe my heat already!"**

At that he smiled and removed his shirt, tossing it aside before knee walking toward Lucy. He lined himself up with her sex and entered it easily, sighing in pleasure as they both felt him enter. Then he began to thrust, gently at first before getting an idea. "Lucy, I've got an idea…" He said quietly as he turned Lucy around so she was on her back.

" **What do you meaAH?"** Lucy said before she was suddenly in the air, being held as David sat down with her straddling him. **"Ooooh… this is AH… so much betAH… better than AH…!"** She cried as he began to thrust her up and down. **"Ooooh… why didn't we AH… do this before! It feels so good… I can feel AH… you so deep inside!"**

"There's something else we can do… while like this now!" He said as he pushed her up and down, before holding the back of her head and pulling it forward so they could kiss.

" **Mmmmm!"** Lucy moaned happily into his mouth, so happy that her sex was being soothed and her heat being relieved. **"Oh yes… like that… take me harder… make me yours!"**

"Do you like it that much Lucy?" He asked as she leaned on him, continuing to let him thrust her up and down, blushing more and more as she began to pant for breath.

" **I love it… I love this feeling."** She said, looking at him and licking his cheek. **"You're my mate, my only mate, I can't love you enough. You complete me!"**

As he began to thrust harder he knew he was going to 'complete her' in another way as well. Realizing his orgasm was approaching, he pulled her into another kiss and pushed her onto her back, thrusting as deeply as he could while she panted and moaned into him. "Lucy… I'm about… to come!"

" **Inside me… I'm in my heat!"** She screeched happily, locking her legs behind his back to keep him from pulling out. **"Do it inside… give me your seed… impregnate me… make me a mother… GIVE ME YOUR PUPS!"**

He began to thrust harder, picking up his pace before she screamed in orgasm, opening her cervix to allow his member access to her womb, which felt wider for some reason as though it wanted to take every drop of his seed for itself. Without a second's thought, he hilted himself as far as he could and felt his member spill every ounce of his seed into her awaiting womb. She moaned happily as his member continued to fill her, and her cervix began to close, as if trying to not let a single drop escape.

She knew that while she was in heat, this was her best chance out of the entire year to become a mother, and she was determined to make the most of it. She practically willed her womb to take his seed, to become fertilized and produce an egg for them both. She was ready and willing to have his pup, to raise his heir to their pack, and she prayed to Arceus that somehow, some way, she would be compatible with him.

As he collapsed with her on their bed, she felt him pull out, and thanked her luck that not a single drop of his seed escaped her.

As Sophia moved over to them and turned around so that she could go next, Lucy made yet more silent prayer, hoping that luck was again on her side, and that she would conceive.

 _ ***Still though…***_ She said with a chuckle, noticing her heat was still active and demanding she go another round while David began to pound Sophia from behind. _***If it doesn't happen today, I can just keep trying over the next week… or 'month'.***_ She watched David give Sophia the same treatment as her, flipping her over and taking her in a sitting position as well. _***Oh yea… I can't wait till he's finished with her, I think my womb isn't full yet… it feels like it can fit another round of his seed… or two… or five…***_

" **Or twelve?"** She asked herself quietly.

(Karen's PoV, twenty minutes later)

Karen snuck into the tunnel connecting to David's chamber and watched again as her master began to mount Lucy for the fifth time that day, admiring his endurance as he was clearly about to give out now. Sophia had given out after her second rump, and was now fast asleep on the bed, but because Lucy was in her heat she refused to stop going.

" **Oh… Arceus…"** She whispered quietly, wishing she were in there as well. **"Oh Arceus… five times in a row with her… seven counting Sophia… why can't he do something like that with me?"**

She continued to rub her sex, wishing that David would claim her as well.

As much as she wanted her master to claim her as well, she was just too shy to propose the idea to him, but oh how she wanted to run in there and mount him. **"Oh look at him… cumming inside of her again… how full she must be… she's probably pregnant by now with how many times he came inside of her!"** She whispered to herself as she rubbed at her sex still, unable to stop herself from doing so, but as she watched he began to thrust again into Lucy. **"Again… she's making him go at it with her again?"** She moaned in agony, wishing they would stop so she could go and clean herself off. **"Oh why am I still a virgin… why can't he just fuck me as well!"**

She rubbed herself harder as Lucy laid on her side, lifting her leg so that David could thrust in her sex easier, exposing his member going in and out. She could even see the motion of his member inside of her sex from where she was watching, just out of sight and hearing.

After a few minutes he picked up his pace and began thrusting uncontrollably, clearly tired but still wanting to please his Prime Mate and calm her down. As she watched he came inside of Lucy for the sixth time that day, and as he did she came as well alongside Karen, whose paw became wet with her essence, again.

" **Oh… master… why do I love watching humans have sex?"** She asked, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath, before moaning quietly in agony as she watched David and Lucy begin to go at it again. **"Just… how many times are they… going to make me watch them?"** She growled to herself angrily, before resuming masturbating as she watched her master take his Absol mate for the seventh time. **"Stupid… fetish… whatever humans call it… why do I have to watch them? Why does it feel so good to watch, instead of joining them?"**

She hated to admit it, but she had what humans called a fetish, she wasn't sure what it was called exactly, but she could not help but watch others having sex, in particular humans. She especially loved watching humans having sex with Pokemon, like her master and his Prime Mate. While she was observing humans searching for David, she had spent many days and nights watching them, especially the nights.

She had observed more than her fair share of humans mating each other in the night when they figured nobody was watching, but she found humans mating Pokemon fascinating, as well as a massive turn on for her. She simply could not resist watching the different inter species relationships she'd seen. Humans with Milotics, Luxrays, Sevipers, Mightyenas, Absols, Gardevoirs, Lopunnys, Ninetales, other Braixens and Delphox's, she lost track with how many she witnessed. She saw them all, and it wasn't always a male human with a female Pokemon, sometimes it was the reverse, or even the same gender. But in all of them, there was one thing missing, herself with her own human.

She had always been an observer, never a participant, so when her dreams were at their clearest and she saw her human master in them, she began fantasizing that her true master would mate with her.

She also loved how bold those relationships were, humans with their Pokemon, mating together out of love or lust, it didn't matter to them. Being in the Kalos region, she had heard about Human/Pokemon relationships as rumors, and anyone suspected was reported to be 'abusing' their Pokemon, and were quickly arrested. Any licensed trainer discovered doing this almost always had their license revoked.

And yet, they still did it, risking their livelihood and more, to be with each other.

How she wanted that for her own life, for her trainer to risk his own livelihood to mate with her, to prove his love in the most intimate way possible.

Now she could have it, and all she was doing with this golden chance, with no risk and all the reward, was stare and torture herself with solo pleasure, instead of joining in on it.

It also didn't help that whenever she watched, Lancelot tried to drag her away each time, so that the 'couples' could have privacy. Naturally she smacked him away each time with her fire, and told him to let her be. Eventually he stopped trying, and simply found something better to 'occupy his time', and wait for her to find him when she was done.

She groaned as she continued to rub her sex with both paws, trying to keep her sexual high going as long as her master and his mate were, who were now going into their eight and probably final rump judging by how tired David was. **"Stupid Lucy… hogging him all to herself… stupid heat and pheromones for making me like this… I want him to fuck me like that!"** She whispered as he began to pound the Absol's exhausted rear, barely able to keep a grip because of how tired they both were. **"And my heat rolls around once a year and lasts half a day! Oh why do some Pokemon have all the luck with week-long heats? She's going to be doing this, 'every day' for the next week! At the very least, a week!"** She watched her master and his mate beginning to pick up their pace one last time, clearly showing they could not go any longer because their sessions were growing shorter and shorter. **"Oh master… please… take me next… next… pleeeeeease!"**

She moaned her last words so quietly because her voice was so worn out from constantly groaning and whispering in pleasure, as she came yet again from her own paw. Yet finally, at long last, David and Lucy collapsed on their bed. She watched him take the blanket and cover them all, before she heard the sound of snoring, indicating they were fast asleep within seconds.

" **Finally…"** She whispered, getting up and limping out and toward her room, desperate to clean up as soon as possible.

As she walked out, she saw Lancelot standing guard where she was before peeking in on her master and his mates. He was staring off into the ceiling as if finding it very fascinating, completely ignoring her stagger and shuffling walk. **"What were you up to?"** She asked hoarsely.

" **Meditating."** He said as she walked past. **"You really need to stop peeping, we're supposed to be guarding him, not spying on him. We spent half of our lives searching for him to be with him, not to watch him mate while out of sight."**

" **Shut up."** She grumbled, walking on and to her room.

She really hated Lancelot some days, especially when he pulled his 'noble' routine.

(Nera's PoV)

" **What are we going to do brother?"** Nera asked her brother as they sat in their chamber together, worrying about the following day when their 'Grace Period' was over. **"If our leader isn't satisfied by us by tomorrow, the Council will suggest he replace us with new advisors! If we lose our positions as his advisors, we'll be useless to the pack!"**

Yara nodded in understanding and agreement, as he too was worried about the end of their 'Grace Period' tomorrow. **"What are we to do, with his new guards, both of whom are individually more powerful than we are combined, we are almost useless."** He whispered nervously. **"As advisors we helped him yes, but Lucy is just as knowledgeable of this pack as we are together. Plus the council will…"**

" **Yes… they'll eventually tell him of our founding law… then what will become of us?"** She whispered worriedly. **"When he learns of our…"**

" **Yes… and when the council tells him of the law, he will be honor bound to obey our oldest law."** He said, looking down in shame at the floor. **"He can't change that one law, if he does the whole pack will react angrily! Scar might become leader because of it again… and if that… if that happens we'll…"**

" **Yes… it will be like before…"** She said, walking over and cuddling with him, scared about the next day. **"He'll threaten us… and after we stood up to him before, he might even kill us… or worse…"**

" **What more can he do to hurt us?"** Yara asked her in disgrace, looking down at the floor as she nuzzled him, seeking companionship from him. **"He already had my life in the pack in his claws, and yours as well… if we go anywhere else we'll be 'useless' and thrown out, and I don't want to be captured by a Trainer and separated from you!"**

Nera agreed as well, if they were with a Trainer, they would be forced to battle, and they would lose their pride as 'Wild Pokemon', the last bit of pride they had in their lives. They would also be separated from one another, and they couldn't allow that to happen. What little pride they had left was here in this pack, because of their conditions. If they lose their place in the pack, they would lose all will to live. They were useless outside of advising, outside of fighting, outside out dying for the Pack Leader.

It was between becoming some Human's dress up doll, become a trainer's fighting machine, or death if they aren't in the pack.

" **I guess… I can do what… I did for Scar… for our new Leader."** Nera whispered in defeat.

" **No sister, you can't!"** He said. **"You don't need to anymore, he isn't like Scar, he's proved that, the elders know of it! You don't have to do that any longer with Leader David in charge!"**

" **But what choice do we have, beg him to let us stay?"** Nera shot back, crying in defeat. **"If we beg, we're pathetic and worse off than before! We can't beg him, we're 'wild' Pokemon, if we go to him and beg we lose what's left of our pride that we have!"** She glared angrily at her brother, but despite her anger she cried just as much as he was. **"We have no choice… we have no choice brother."**

Yara cried as well, trying to act brave but he too understood their situation. **"Why… even though we're free of Scar now..."** He moaned in defeat. **"Why do things have to be like this… why must you suffer for my sake?"**

She nodded as the two of them curled up for bed, trying to enjoy their night of rest, before Nera went to speak to their Leader. **"Because… we don't have a choice."** She whispered. **"It's because we're useless, that we don't have a choice now."**


	12. Chapter 11

_*All life is precious to me…*_

 _*All life is precious to you…*_

 _*Is it any wonder why I saved you?*_

=Chapter 11, Past Scars=

(David's PoV)

"Ugh… how long was I out?" He asked himself as he wearily began to wake up.

He looked to his left to see Lucy smiling eagerly, watching him slowly wake up with a content look on her face and a prominent blush on her cheeks. **"Awake at last my love?"** She asked him.

"Lucy… what happened yesterday?" He asked her, reaching over and scratching her fur. "Yesterday feels like a blur to me, I can barely remember what happened."

" **You came inside me… eight times."** She whispered. **"I hope you forgive me David… I didn't realize my heat would be that… intense."**

"Intense… one minute you and I were exhausted, but then I feel like…"

" **Like your body was on automatic, and you just wanted to mount me again and again?"** She asked with a knowing smile. **"Yea… Absol pheromones while they are in heat, are quite strong my love. I knew they would affect me like that, but I didn't think you would be affected as heavily."** She nuzzled his arm lovingly. **"While I'm in my heat, my body will act out and demand I keep going, even if I'd like to stop and sleep. It's how we ensure we conceive during our heat, normally when a female goes into heat, we take our mate and isolate ourselves with food and source of water. This way we assure our mates that the egg we have is without a doubt theirs, as well as make sure that we conceive whenever our heat occurs."**

"I see… so will this be a regular thing while you're still in heat?" He asked wearily, finally feeling his legs at long last and his groin as well.

" **I'm afraid so… every day until I either conceive and have your pups… or until my heat passes."** She said with a nod, and blushing even more as she inched closer to him. **"Sorry, but that's just how it has to be David. But hey… at least you get to have 'fun' for the next couple of days."**

"Not sure if passing out each day is a good thing." He said quietly as she began planting kisses on him. "Please don't tell me you want to go again…"

" **Oh no, I'm too tired right now."** She whispered, shaking her head. **"We've been asleep since yesterday, I'm hungry and thirsty, and no doubt you are as well. But look at it this way my love…"** She looked at him with a gentle smile before locking lips with him once more, her blush very prominent to him. **"You came inside me so much, maybe I'm finally pregnant."**

"Are you really sure about this?" He asked her quietly, rubbing her head with one hand. "Being a parent is a huge responsibility, I'm not sure how it is with Pokemon, but for humans we take it very serious."

Lucy nodded before resting her head under his, purring deeply as he continued to stroke her fur. **"I'm ready to become a mother David, don't worry about what will happen to our pups."** She said. **"We'll be great parents, and hey, we have to start somewhere right? Might as well start with our first litter and see how well we do it from there."**

"You make it sound like you want to raise an entire pack with me." He said with a chuckle, holding Lucy next to him and rubbing her stomach, imaging it carrying his first pup.

" **Not an entire pack!"** She laughed. **"More like five or six… maybe more… I'm just saying I don't mind the idea. Most Pokemon in the pack only have a few pups depending on the species, but as I'm your Prime Mate, it's my responsibility to have lots of pups with you."**

"That's just an excuse to mate with me again and again isn't it?" He asked her with a smirk.

" **Okay fine, yes… but don't you like the idea?"** She said, looking away in embarrassment.

"I guess I do." He said with a smile, rubbing her stomach again. "Though what about Sophia, doesn't she want pups as well?"

" **Course I do darling…"** Sophia barked from his other side. **"But the number I was aiming for was fifty!"**

"Fifty?!" David asked, looking over at her as she smiled with her eyes closed.

" **Fifty?!"** Lucy asked as well.

" **What… can't a Furfrou aim for a high number as well?"** She asked, opening her eye to look at them with a twinkle in it. **"Furfrous give birth to about six or seven pups a litter, you remember David, I was the last in my litter to be born. Your parents gave away the rest of my brothers and sisters, but kept me because I spent so much time with you. Though unlike your parents… we aren't giving away any of our pups darling."**

"Wouldn't dream of it Sophia…" He said with a chuckle. "But let's keep the number low, for my sake please?"

" **Fine…"** Sophia sighed in defeat, before licking his cheek tentatively. **"Twenty, but no lower!"**

All three of them chuckled at that. However their laughing session was ended as a voice called for them from outside. **"Master David, you have visitors!"** Karen called from outside. **"Nera wants to talk to you."**

"Alright, give me a few minutes Karen!" He shouted before getting up to put on a change of clothes. "We really need to stop waking up like this in the morning…"

" **Why, it just means you can skip a few steps and go straight to fucking me!"** Lucy said with a smirk.

" **Merde Lucy, just listen to yourself!"** Sophia barked. **"Such obscène language dear, at least have la dignité et de classe when you talk to our leader."**

" **Oh yea, your one to talk!"** Lucy growled while David put on his clothes. **"How many times do you call him 'maître' David? Telling him to make you his 'chien salope' or something along those lines whenever he fucks you? What does that even mean?"**

" **I wouldn't tell you even if you tried to force me to!"** Sophia barked back angrily, completely ignoring David as he dressed and made himself presentable.

"Uh, ladies?" He asked them, causing them both to go quiet. "Thank you. Alright Karen I'm ready!"

Moments later Nera walked in on all fours with Karen behind her, Karen looking calm and determined while Nera looked nervous and afraid. "Hi Nera, can I help you with something?" He asked as he sat down with Lucy and Sophia sitting on either side of him.

" **Um… yes leader…"** She said nervously, sitting down in front of them. **"I came here to ask about… an issue… my brother and I are having."**

"Well ask away Nera, if there's any way I can help I will." He said.

" **I came to ask… do you find my brother and me… satisfactory in our duties."** She asked him.

"Why would you ask that?"

At that question Nera looked even more nervous, and she shifted her glance every few seconds before speaking up. **"What I mean is… do you believe my brother and I are good advisors to you?"** She asked now.

"Well, yes, you two have given me great advice." He said, now with more questions raised than before. "You haven't had much work when it comes to advising over the last few weeks, but I still take what you say to heart. Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?"

" **It's because… our Grace Period granted by one of our laws… is almost up."** Nera said. **"If we haven't proven ourselves worthy of our positions, the council will ask you to… replace us."**

"Replace you, but why would I do that?"

" **You see leader… as your advisors, we must always be considered a trustworthy source of information about the pack. But as we are also your guards, we must also be capable of protecting you…"** Nera said as she glanced at Karen. **"But ever since you took on your two bodyguards… my brother and I have seen no real need for us to be by your side… Lucy has become just as valuable an advisor to you as we are, and you listen to the council just as much as you would her or us."** She looked back at him, but now there seemed to be even more worry in her eyes. **"What I'm saying is… under your leadership… my brother and I have no purpose in our pack now."**

"Okay, I can understand that, but why are you so afraid that I'll replace you?"

Before Nera could respond Lucy spoke up. **"Because David, one of this pack's most important rules is that each member be useful in some form or another."** She said. **"Whether that be menial tasks such as foraging, or important roles such as guarding. All members outside of the leaders of the pack have to be useful in one form or another. Basically anyone below the rank of Bodyguard, have to have some purpose to be in the pack. Pups and really young Pokemon are an exception, but other than that nobody is allowed in our pack."**

" **Other packs have similar rules, if you aren't useful in some way you're not welcomed into the pack."** Nera said. **"What I'm asking is… is there a way I can prove useful to you? So that you'll allow me and my brother to remain in the pack?"**

As she asked she began trembling in fear, and he noticed something that made him remember another female who spoke similarly to him before. The first time Ninetales mother Natalia, who also trembled in fear as she begged him to spare her first pup, offering her own body if it would give her pup even the slightest chance to live.

"Nera, I'm only going to ask this because I care just as much about you as every other member of this pack." He said calmly, but with authority. "Are you asking me to mate with you, even though you don't want me to?" Nera only looked at him with a mixture of worry and fear, before nodding her head in shame. "Why would you come here to offer me your body, if you know I would never hurt you?"

" **Because… we're afraid…"** She whispered, causing Karen to glance at her with concern. **"We're afraid… you'll kick us out of the pack. We have nowhere else to go if you do!"**

David nodded and suspected this ran deeper than what Nera was letting on, and also suspected she didn't want to talk about it in front of everyone present. "Karen, is Lancelot out there?" He asked.

" **Yep, he and I were waiting outside in case you needed us!"** Karen said.

"Tell Lancelot to go and bring Yara here please." He said.

" **Alright."** Karen replied before walking out of his chamber.

A few minutes later Karen and Lancelot walked in with Yara, who was looking just as nervous as Nera was, even more so since his sister was still shivering slightly. "Alright, Yara, Nera, is there any reason why you two would be so afraid of me kicking you out of the pack?"

At his question both of the Meowstics looked at Lucy, Sophia, Lancelot and Karen with nervous expressions before looking back at David, clearly saying they didn't want to talk about it in front of so many witnesses. He nodded in understanding and asked both of his Prime Mates and two bodyguards to leave him and his advisors alone.

" **Why can't I stay?"** Lucy growled in frustration. **"I'm your Prime Mate, I should be here as well!"**

"Just leave us alone for now Lucy." He said sternly, now giving Lucy the first ever glare he ever gave her.

" **Uh… okay…"** She said, noticing the change in attitude and not wanting to risk him getting angry at her.

Sophia fortunately, understood what was happening and left without any questions. However she gave him a firm nod as well as nodding toward the two Meowstics, indicating that she understood as well.

[Zinnia's Sorrow Theme – the longer the better]

Once he was alone with only Nera and Yara with him still, he finally spoke to them. "Okay, so why are you so afraid of being kicked out of the pack?" He asked them. "What reason would I have that would require me to kick you out of the pack?"

So Nera explained to him again about their supposed 'uselessness' to him, thanks to Karen and Lancelot's inclusion into the pack and taking on the role of being bodyguards as well. Then she explained again about them being 'useless' as advisors because they have not really advised him on anything important. Then she explained more about the rule, indicating that all Pokemon had to be useful in some way to the pack in order to be allowed to stay 'in' the pack. Finally, she explained how it was his duty to make sure his advisors were worth their position, giving him solid and trustworthy advice.

But as she explained, something poked at him, something told him that there was something about this picture that didn't seem right. That there was a clue they were not explaining to him, that they wanted to keep secret, as secret as possible. "I understand that, but what is it you aren't telling me?" He said after ten minutes of listening. "Why would I have any reason to kick you out, because as far as I've seen from you, you have done a wonderful job helping me since I became Leader?"

At this Yara and Nera both grimaced at each other, before Nera looked down at the floor in shame. **"Because leader… we don't want to admit it to anyone."** She said in defeat. **"If we admit it… we'll be disgraced throughout the pack, and none of them will ever look at us the same ever again."**

"Is it that important?" He asked calmly.

" **Yes… you see… will you please promise us leader that you won't tell anyone else if we tell you?"** Nera asked him in disgrace, to which he nodded and said he wouldn't tell a soul. **"You see leader…"** She whispered to him as she took several deep breaths. **"I'm sterile…"**

He raised his eyebrow at that, now even more confused. "That's it?" He asked them. "You're afraid I'm going to kick you out because you can't have kits of your own?"

" **It's more than that leader…"** Yara replied now. **"You see… a Pokemon's greatest gift that we have is our ability to reproduce. Almost any Pokemon that is mature, is capable of having pups or kits of their own. It's our highest honor that we have, and we take pride in having given birth."** As he talked he looked at Nera with a sad expression, as if he wished he didn't have to talk about this. **"But for a female Pokemon, who is sterile, it's the ultimate shame, because we feel that we are cursed or forbidden to have young. It isn't even Nera's fault, but if anyone learns that she is sterile, her respect in the pack will plummet. She'd be lucky if anyone gave her any respect ever again."**

"Okay I can sort of see that, but how does being able to reproduce translate to being useful in the pack?" He asked.

" **Because… if I can't have any pups, then no male will ever consider mating with me."** Nera said sadly. **"Being able to have a family is a huge thing for us females… as I'm sure your Prime Mates have expressed Leader. It's something we always hope to have instinctively, otherwise we wouldn't bother mating in the first place."**

"I see, I guess when you put it that way, this really is important to you." He said. "But what does this have to do with Yara, why would you be at risk?" He asked the male Meowstic.

Yara however, tried to avoid his gaze as best he could, instead choosing to mirror his sister's actions and stare at the ground in shame.

"Are you sterile as well Yara?" He asked. "It's alright if you are, Gentaal is also sterile and he has respect still."

" **I wish I were… at least I'd have that excuse."** Yara said, still avoiding David's gaze. **"But I'm not like Gentaal, he isn't sterile, he only believes he's sterile. He still at least has a chance to have pups… but I won't ever have pups."**

At that answer, something told David that there was something else to it. And he had a wild idea that might explain it. "Can you tell me why?" He asked. "You don't need to explain it loudly, you can just whisper it to me."

Yara nodded and walked over to him slowly, before leaning up to his ear and whispering the reason as quietly as he could. All the while Nera was also hanging her head in shame as she observed her brother explaining to David why he wished he had the excuse his sister had at least.

After Yara explained, David nodded in understanding, and gave Yara a soft scratch behind his ears. "I'm sorry… I didn't realize 'that' was what you lost." He said. "Being neutered at birth by the leader before Scar, I can only imagine how much pain you've suffered all this time. Given what you've told me about your pride in this pack, losing that would alienate you from every female in the pack, and shame you among every other male."

Yara nodded as he went back to his sister's side, and hung his head in deeper shame.

"Why did he do that to you Yara, it seems rather cruel in my eyes to perform that on a baby?" He asked the Meowstic.

" **Leader Hercule felt that any male offspring he produced besides those with his Prime Mate, might have challenged him for leadership."** Yara replied with his eyes closed. **"So to ensure we didn't oppose him, he… did that to us. Unfortunately he was only leader for a short time compared to Scar, and I was the only male offspring he had during his first few months as Leader. He ruled for about two years, and in that time didn't have any offspring besides me and my sister by the time Scar took over."**

"So how is it you both still survived while Scar was leader?" He asked them. "Based on what I've learned of him, you two were only around him because you were his bodyguards. He didn't ever seem to take your advice to heart, and seemed to treat you like tools."

" **It is true Leader… whenever we offered advice to Scar he almost always disregarded it unless it agreed with how he thought or was planning."** Nera replied. **"If we ever said anything that contradicted him, he would threaten us… we were only his guards in practicality."** She said with a sad frown. **"Without our abilities, we would have been useless to him, and he would have kicked us out or killed us himself. But… we had an agreement with him… 'I' had an agreement with him."**

"In other words… you let him rape you?" He asked them quietly, anger growing inside of him as he realized that he was dealing with another of Scar's issues. "You basically gave him your body just so you could remain 'useful' in his eyes?"

As he spoke those words, Nera broke down in tears, hiccupping every time she cried. **"Yes… if I became his sex slave… if I did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, he would allow us to stay as his bodyguards and advisors!"** She moaned in defeat. **"He promised he wouldn't inform any of the pack about my inability to procreate, and he wouldn't kill my brother because of his 'condition'. As long as I let him rape me however he wanted, then we could stay in the pack!"** She cried even harder as she spoke to him, and Yara too was crying sadly. **"You have to understand Leader… we were useless to him… we had no choice but to do it… I didn't want to be separated from my brother, and we didn't want to risk being captured!"**

" **For us wild Pokemon, being captured and bossed around, eventually becoming 'tamed' is a disgrace and is looked down upon Leader."** Yara said. **"Being forced to become whatever our human masters want us to be, is shameful and many find the idea revolting. A few don't mind and even want that, but for the rest we take pride in our freedom. If my sister and I were captured, we might still live but we could be separated, and we don't want to be parted from one another…"**

" **That's why I became Scar's sex slave… at least that way we could stay in the pack we were born in, and we wouldn't be kicked out!"** Nera said sadly, still crying tears. **"At least we were 'useful' to both him and the pack! Even though I wished to be free of him, we had a place in the pack thanks to him."** She now looked up at him, and her once normally yellow and red eyes were now bloodshot. **"We became advisors… bodyguards… we had respect and admiration. Even though the cost was me… we at least were together, safe in the pack."**

He nodded in understanding, before asking one final question, though by how Nera was crying he guessed the answer. "How often did he violate you Nera?"

Nera looked down at the ground before crying again, her tails curling in disgrace and her paws shaking slightly. **"Twice a week… if I was lucky and he wasn't with another female."** She whispered sadly. **"At best twice a week… at worst it was twice a day. I couldn't even claim honor in mating our leader… because he forced it upon me each time. And if I said no or tried to resist… he would threaten me with my brother, and I'd have no choice but to let him violate me however long he wanted to!"** She looked up at him again, and now her eyes gave her the look that her spirit had been broken. **"I had no choice Leader… I had no choice!"**

"Why didn't you try to stop him Yara?" He asked the brother, noticing how much pain Yara was expressing as his sister cried. "She's your sister, you should have done something to protect her, anything!"

" **I couldn't have… because if I did her life was forfeit as well!"** Yara said angrily but also in shame. **"I knew what she was doing and did all I could to protect her Leader, but like she said I too had no choice! I once begged Scar to let her sleep because she was sick one night. She had a high fever and needed rest for her to get better, but he didn't care, he was 'in the mood' and wanted to mate. When I protested he knocked me aside, and forced me to watch, saying that it was punishment for defying him. That I should be honored to have my sister mate with him…"** He said as he glared at him now while still crying, his tails standing on end because of his silent rage. **"I was forced to watch him rape my own sister Leader… I would have done ANYTHING to spare her that torture! But if I did, we were dead or worse! We are strong together but even combined we still aren't a match for Scar in battle. He is stronger than you realize. Your fight with him wasn't him really fighting, he was just only interested in killing you, and he wasn't thinking clearly and so made a mistake!"**

He sighed as he looked at the two Meowstics, and understood now why they acted the way they did. It was obvious that he couldn't treat them like he would have a human in this situation, because obviously they weren't like him. While he hated Scar now even more than he did before, what Scar did to these two Meowstics was, in their eyes at least, a necessary sacrifice for them to remain in the pack.

He just hated how scarred they were because of it now. He could only imagine how much fear Nera must have felt every day, wondering if she might get out of mating with Scar. He could also understand Yara's silent rage at himself, having to watch as his own sister was raped in front of him and accept it had caused the male Meowstic so much suppressed anger. He was sure that if Scar hadn't been the Pack Leader as well as a Houndoom at the time, Yara would have fought tooth and claw to protect Nera from him.

"I understand you two…" He said quietly before surprising them both by taking Nera in his arms and giving her a small hug. "I promise you that you don't need to worry about being kicked out of this pack. I still want you to stay as my advisors, even if I haven't had any need of you so far, I still trust your advice."

" **You mean… you won't… you won't force me to?"** Nera asked, looking up at him with hope in her eyes.

"No, you don't have to let anyone violate you ever again Nera." He said, scratching her head and making her smile with joy. "Yara, I have a new decree now that I have just come up with!"

" **Yes Leader?"** Yara asked, now no longer crying but looked just as happy as his sister did.

"Karen, I want you in here now!" He shouted, and moments later Karen came running in with her hand on the stick in her tail. "Karen, I want you to spread this decree to all of the females within the pack." He said to his Braixen. "My decree is this: By order of the Pack Leader, Scar is forbidden from mating any female in Pack David or from mating any female within our territory! Is that clear?"

" **You got it master!"** Karen said with a smirk before walking out with a swagger. **"Can't wait to tell all the girls, they'll absolutely love this law. They've been waiting for something like this…"**

As Karen left he turned to Yara who was watching as his sister nuzzled David's chest in gratitude. "As for you Yara, I have a special rule I want you to follow." He said to Yara, who looked up at him. "Lancelot, I need you in here now!"

Moments Lancelot his Lucario walked into the chamber and knelt down on one knee, as if he were standing before royalty. "Yara, I want you and your sister to stay together from now on, wherever one of you goes the other does as well. Barring places that require privacy of course. If Scar threatens either of you, I give you full permission to perform the same 'procedure' that the leader before Scar did upon you." He turned to Lancelot after saying that. "As for you Lancelot, I want you to watch over and protect these two from now on. If they go anywhere without me I want you to go with them as well, if Scar threatens them in any way, knock him out and let Yara deal with him, understood?"

" **What about you Master?"** He asked politely.

"I think between Karen, Lucy and Sophia, I'll be safe while we're here." He said with a chuckle. "Are my orders understood Lancelot?"

" **Yes Master, I'll carry them out as you command."** He said with a nod. **"I'll wait outside to escort them wherever they wish."**

With that Lancelot left, leaving David and the twins alone again, but now Nera was purring in relief and contentment while he scratched her, and Yara was showing his affection by nuzzling his arm. "I'm sorry you two had to endure all of that for so many years." He said softly. "If I could replace what Scar took from you both, erase all of that pain he caused you two, I would do it without hesitation."

" **It's alright Leader… we understand."** Nera said, now smiling as she looked up at him when he let her go. **"Thank you Leader… thank you so much for what you have done for us!"**

" **Yes Leader… thank you for everything!"** Yara said, holding his sister close and crying tears of joy. **"Our nightmare is over sister… its over at last!"**

" **Yes brother… it's finally over…"** Nera said to her brother, nuzzling him back. **"We don't have to fear Scar… ever again!"**

They both allowed themselves a few moments of sibling comfort before turning to look at David and bowing to him. **"Thank you Leader, we are honored for what you have done for us."** They both said at the same time. **"If you have any need of us, we will be happy to help you with whatever the task is. May we return to our chambers and sleep, we spent much of the night worrying in fear."**

"Of course, and inform my two Prime Mates that they may come back in here." He said, but then he remembered that Lucy was in heat, and while they were talking it might have flared back up. "Though before you go to bed, can you please bring some food for me and my two mates to eat? I have a feeling Lucy will not let me out of this room for a while."

" **With pleasure Leader!"** They said instantly, and left right after that.

Not moments later, Lucy and Sophia walked back in, with Lucy grinning wickedly at him, or more importantly his groin. **"Oh Daviiiid~…"** She sang before slowly walking toward him, her cheeks redder than he thought they had any right to be. **"Guess what time it is…"**

"I have a feeling I'm going to be exhausted in the next hour." He said as she walked over him and began rubbing herself against him, kissing him fiercely and with way more passion than she did before.

" **Oh yea…"** Lucy replied before shoving him onto their bed and locking lips with him.

" **Merde… always so impulsive."** Sophia said, before joining them as well on the bed.

(Lancelot's PoV)

Lancelot followed behind both of the advisors, obeying the orders David had given him. While they walked to the lake chamber to get food at his request, he spotted Karen approaching from a side tunnel with a grin on her face.

" **Hey Lance, where ya heading?"** She asked, causing them to pause in their walking.

" **I'm escorting Yara and Nera at Master David's request."** He said respectfully. **"Where are you heading to Karen?"**

She pointed with one of her paws at a group of females that were gossiping outside of the main chamber, and all of them noticed who Karen was talking to and began whispering to one another when they spotted Lancelot. **"Just doing what Master David said to do, told all the ladies of the pack to not fuck Scar ever again."** She said with a chuckle. **"Though I don't think he needed to make it a decree, it's not like any of them would want to 'bang' him now. I was just about to walk back to his chamber to tell him."**

" **Perhaps you should refrain from that Karen… he is currently occupied… at the moment."** He said, glancing into the tunnel behind him.

" **Occupied, you mean his mates are with him at this time?"** Karen asked him, and he saw a glint in her eyes that told him what she was thinking. **"I'll just go and guard the entrance to his chamber… you know just to make sure nobody interrupts him."**

Lancelot sighed and knew it was pointless to try and argue with her, she would have gone anyway. **"Just make sure nobody bothers them alright?"** He told her, shaking his head and ignoring as she walked eagerly to their master's chamber.

" **She really takes her job serious."** Near said as they continued to the lake chamber.

" **Indeed, Leader David has chosen wisely when it came to a new bodyguard."** Yara said as well. **"She is very determined in her duty, she's always watching the entrance and protecting our Leader each minute he is not in his chamber. Unless told otherwise, she remains diligent in ensuring his safety."**

 _ ***If only she was really 'guarding' him …***_ He thought to himself as they began walking to the main tunnel which connected to the lake chamber.

As they walked he felt a nearby aura following them, and he knew who it was. **"Masters Yara and Nera, can you handle getting our leader's food on your own and getting it to him?"** He asked them.

" **Of course, it will not take very long."** Yara said, and both he and his sister went on ahead, leaving him behind.

He turned around and crossed his arms, staring determinedly at the Houndoom behind him. Scar walked a few paces toward him before stopping, giving him a piercing glare, and wearing a smug expression on his muzzle.

Though he stood a foot taller than him, Lancelot was not intimidated by Scar's appearance. Scar was merely an abused former Pokemon, once trained by a human. His relationship with his trainer had been tainted and ruined, making the Houndoom only a shadow of what he could have become.

" **So what business does the little pet of the human have here?"** Scar asked with a grin. **"Aren't you going to go and protect your 'master' servant?"**

Lancelot remained quiet as the Houndoom began taunting him. He was just trying to provoke him into talking, perhaps revealing something that might give him an advantage.

He was well aware of this kind of game the Houndoom was playing, he's had to deal with it over the years after spending so much time among various packs in Kalos while searching for David.

They often tried to get him to stay and become a part of their packs, and even a few female pack leaders tried to offer him a position as their Prime Mate. They knew how strong he was after being able to cross through their various territories with no effort.

" **What, you have nothing to say to me?"** He asked viciously. **"I expected more from a 'bodyguard' of our Pack Leader."**

" **This pack has no need of a human, it has never needed a human. That human is a sympathetic weakling and your clearly stronger than this Human you call your 'master'."** Scar whispered venomously as he took two steps closer, a gleam in his eyes as Lancelot saw that he had captured his attention with those words. **"Why do you obey a human you can easily defeat with only the slightest effort? With your power you could rule all the packs for half of this region. So why, why do you fight for one who does not deserve such power under his control. Imagine how much pow…"**

With that last word, Lancelot rushed forward, and faster than Scar could blink, threw a kick at the Houndoom.

If the kick had connected, he was sure that Scar would have died, but he was told by David to not attack Scar unless he endangered Yara or Nera, or Sophia and Lucy. So when he threw the kick, he made sure that he stopped his attack a mere inch in front of his face.

Scar was speechless and wide eyed, as he barely had any time to breathe before he could utter another word.

Lancelot however maintained his professional act and refused to glare back at Scar. **"Don't even speak."** He whispered. **"Do not utter another word, pathetic excuse for a Pokemon!"**

Scar would have probably glared back but with Lancelot's foot an inch from his face and his mind still recovering from how fast Lancelot moved, he didn't move an inch.

" **You dare stand before me Scar, and attempt to turn me against my master."** He said. **"You are pathetic… you who would try to turn me against my true master, you who were defeated by the very human you speak of. Then you attempt to turn me against him? How pathetic you must be, to think you were once Pack Leader."** He stared at the former leader and grinned. **"You chose poorly when you attempted to turn members of your pack against him, I am eternally loyal to him and always will be. He is my greatest friend and greatest ally, and if any danger ever threatens him, I will stand before him and protect him against it!"**

In response Scar glanced at his foot and then back to his face. **"Yes, I stopped my attack just before it hit you."** He said. **"I was trained for great speed and to attack with great strength, I am far faster and far stronger than any Pokemon in this or any pack. Name any Pokemon and I assure you, I surpass them with great ease. If I had wanted to, I could have snapped your neck with the very kick I threw, but I was ordered to not hurt you unless you threatened Yara, Nera, Lucy or Sophia. Consider yourself lucky that my master is merciful."** He put his foot down and turned to walk away. **"If you dare to try and convince me again to betray him, next time I won't hold back in my attack. And don't even think of trying to attack me from behind ever again, for I can sense your aura without even seeing."**

Just before he walked away, he looked back at Scar and stared at him. **"You truly are pathetic… I almost feel sorry that the human you once had, abused you so much, to the point where what you had had become twisted and destroyed. If things were different, it would be you shouting words of loyalty to your human, and not spouting venomous words of distrust and bitter hatred to one who held no such feelings to you."**

With that he walked away, without another word.


	13. Chapter 12

_*I never had the chance before…*_

 _*You saved me without needing any other reason…*_

 _*I wish I could have gotten to know you…*_

=Chapter 12, Days among the Pack=

=Karen's Day Off=

(Karen's PoV)

Karen lazed around while watching her group of foragers, who were currently trying to get a bunch of Rawst Berries down from a tree.

" **Well, 'group' isn't a very accurate description."** She commented to herself as she stared ahead of her. **"It's really only two foragers I was assigned to, so it really be called a pair."**

She yawned and laid back against the grass, wishing for some 'exciting' action to happen, anything to end her boredom.

If she'd had it her way, she would be back at the den, watching over her master and his mates… mate. Or more importantly, 'watching' them mate and enjoying herself. Yet Lucy asked her to join this pair of foragers because as the Winter Season approached, they needed to stock up on their food reserves. She also wished Lancelot wouldn't annoy her by keeping her busy when Lucy was still in her heat.

" **Jeez, those food reserves run out fast with over two hundred mouths to feed."** She complained. **"It also doesn't help that most of the berry trees we could get to border Pack Draco and Pack Delica. So we have to assign even more guards to those foragers to protect them, and basically keep their warrior members away from them."** Thinking about Pack Delica made Karen smile, remembering her pack and how large they were reminded her of how difficult her master had it being a Leader. **"Well, it's a good thing my master has nice help when it comes to running this pack. Otherwise we'd have great difficulty with the next few months coming up."**

As she was lost in thought she glanced over at the two foragers, a young Vulpix that had finally matured the day before, and an elderly Ariados that had joined their pack a few days ago. The Ariados was joining their pack because he was driven out of his tree by a Houndoom, a Houndoom they were familiar with.

According to the Ariados, he was driven away by Vicious, who in a fit of anger and rage at being kicked out of the pack, took it out on the neighboring territory where they had left him. The pack there had driven him out and he was continuing to head north, but not before driving out Pokemon from their homes and forcing them to seek shelter in the various packs.

The old Ariados would not have survived long with a flight of Pidgeotto and Pidgeys arriving into Route 6, Route 7, and Route 8. If he had remained and tried to rebuild his home, they would have torn him apart to get at the berry trees he once lived near. So he agreed to live and work for Pack Leader David, in exchange for protection and the offer to become an Elder when he felt ready.

She yawned loudly and leaned her head back on the grass, bored out of her mind. **"What would I give for some of the action Lance and I saw when we were still traveling Kalos looking for David."** She moaned. **"Seriously… ever since we settled here, the most fighting I've done is kick away the few Wingulls that tried to steal our food."**

She closed her eyes and rolled onto her stomach, wanting to take a nap before she would have to escort the pair back to the den.

As she rolled she made sure her tail and the stick she had in it remained positioned so that she could easily reach and pull out the stick if needed. As much as she was being lazy today, she was determined to keep herself prepared for battle at a moment's notice.

Or at least try to.

" **Wish I could watch them… watch Master David mount Lucy and Sophia… and rut them crazy like a sex starved male…"** She said to herself, visualizing her fantasy in her mind.

As she fantasized, the young Vulpix male, Indo, spoke up to her, bringing her out of her wonderful fantasy. **"Uhm… excuse me ma'am?"** He said tentatively.

" **Unless this is very important, we still have another few hours to harvest these berries before going back to the den."** She said, not bothering to open her eyes. **"So what is it?"**

" **Uhm… we were wondering… if we could have a short break?"** He asked her. **"Mr. Spinner is feeling a little tired."**

She opened her eyes and stared at the Ariados, who was panting slightly as he used his webs to create a sack so they could carry all of the berries back.

" **Fine, take a break."** She said, closing her eyes again.

A few seconds later the Ariados scuttled over to her and curled up to rest his legs. **"Thank you for letting me rest."** He said to her. **"I wish I had more strength but… I'm not a young Ariados anymore."**

" **It's alright, we all get old one day."** She said, ignoring him and instead focusing on her rest.

" **May I ask a question of you?"** He asked, to which she said he could. **"I don't mean to sound rude, but you don't seem to take your duty seriously. Aren't you even slightly concerned about us being attacked? What if a Pidgeotto attacks us while we're busy, what are we going to do?"**

" **Simple, you two sit back and watch while I burn their feathery tails off."** She said with a grin. **"Don't worry about being attacked, you're safe in my paws."**

" **I'll take your word for it."** He said before curling up to nap.

While they rested, she continued where her fantasy left off and began picturing her own fantasy finally coming true. She pictured her master grinning as he leaned over her, kissing her muzzle as she blushed deeply, submitting to his dominance and opening her legs open so that her pussy could accept his dick at long last. Then she heard him whisper words into her ears, saying he'll be gentle with her.

Just as her fantasy came to its climax, where he began to penetrate her, she was interrupted once again by some yelling.

It was the telltale signs of a group of Wingulls approaching, and by the sound it was at least a small horde.

As if to confirm her suspicion, Indo screamed, **"Wingull raid!"**

She groaned at the interruption, and turned her ears to listen for where the Wingulls were coming from. After that she calculated how far away they were, how high they were, how many they numbered, their approximate distance from her, and put all of that together in her mind. Then she grabbed the stick in her tail, pulled it out, igniting the flame on it, and concentrated for a few seconds before unleashing a torrential Flamethrower at the horde she couldn't see with her eyes closed.

Five seconds later she stopped her attack, put her stick back in her tail, and proceeded to yawn, admiring how the Wingulls had retreated. This was confirmed as she heard their calls echoing in the distance as they fled from her attack.

" **Wake me up if something dangerous appears."** She said, reaching over and pulling a fallen twig to chew on while she tried to return to her fantasy.

As she began fantasizing again, picking off where her 'Imaginary Master' left off, slowly penetrating her virgin pussy and pushing all the way into her womb, she thought to herself. _***You know this is a nice day off… I should thank Lucy when I get the chance… though I'd prefer it if I could spend my day watching the real thing, instead of pretending…***_

(Indo's PoV)

Indo stared in amazement as his protector drove off seven Wingull raiders with a single Flamethrower, without even looking at them.

As the Wingulls fled from the area, looking for more easy food to steal, he glanced at the sleeping Braixen who was currently chewing on a twig, still with her eyes closed.

" **I hope I become that strong someday…"** He said, admiring how strong their leader's guards were. **"Not even Yara and Nera together could do that so easily…"**

=Lancelot Oath of Loyalty=

(Lancelot's PoV)

Lancelot took a deep breath as he knelt down before glancing at the wall opposite him, with at least twenty or thirty members of the pack watching him as he began his sixth run that day.

As he focused his energy, took several deep and calming breaths, he sensed the numerous auras around him to see if anyone important was there.

Other than Terrance's aura there was nobody he considered important. So he decided to go ahead and resume his run in the lake chamber.

It's been six days since Lucy's heat began, since then she has kept David in their chambers, preventing him from leaving each day and mating with him constantly. While Lucy was still in heat, and by the way she was acting would remain in heat for at least a few more days, the pack was working on orders she and him gave them through Yara and Nera. This left Lancelot with a lot of free time whenever he wasn't escorting them around, and since he wanted to keep himself busy, he began these 'training' routines.

One of them was running, in order to keep his legs and speed up to par.

One way he ensured he was still in top form was to train himself physically and mentally.

Moments later he opened his eyes and pushed his legs as hard as he could, running forward and toward the wall on the opposite side. Seconds later he jumped up it, and began pushing his legs even harder so that he could maintain his speed and run up the horizontal wall. Then he concentrated again and pushed his legs to move even faster as he reached the ceiling, and began running ON the ceiling.

Ignoring the gasps and cheers from the small crowd below, he ran to the wall opposite the one he just ran up and propelled himself as fast as he could, keeping his momentum to maintain his run while on the ceiling. Then he reached the wall and began running down it, down a horizontal wall as fast as he could.

Finally he reached the floor and slid to a halt amid cheers and cries of amazements from the various members of the pack, gasping for breath and recovering his strength.

" **Nicely done Lance!"** Terrance shouted from the water. **"That makes six successful runs in a row!"**

He nodded and steadied himself before turning to the Lapras who bore an X mark in his eye just like him and the others. **(Thank you Terrance, but let us save the praises for when I complete the next part of my training.)** He said psychically, unable to speak because of how exhausted his legs were. **(Are you ready with the rock?)**

Lapras nodded and went under the water before reappearing with a boulder in his mouth. **"Vready vwhen you are!"** He said, his voice muffled by the boulder.

Lancelot nodded and focused himself, focusing his aura and condensing it into a powerful sphere with his paws. As he continued to condense it, and increase the power of his Aura Sphere, he prepared himself mentally to aim it. **"Now!"** He shouted.

Seconds later Terrance blasted the boulder out of his mouth with a Hydro Pump, sending it skyward. Soon after Lancelot launched his Aura Sphere and targeted the boulder, without fail it smashed into and destroyed the boulder into smaller rocks.

Gathering his strength he leapt high into the air, and one by one kicked or punched the many rocks as they began to fall, pummeling them into dust and small pebbles with each one he destroyed while gravity asserted itself on him. As he fell he angled himself while continuing to destroy the falling rocks, until he landed atop Terrance's shell on his back.

As he landed the entire group of pack members began cheering and shouting in congratulation and amazement at his accomplishment. **"I'll say it again, nicely done Lance, that's six successful training runs done in a row."** Terrance said, looking back at him as he swam to the shore to let him off.

 **(Thank you, though I think that's all I'll do for tonight.)** He replied calmly, taking several deep breaths. **(I think I'll return to my chamber to rest, before assuming my night watch duty for our master.)**

" **Very well Lance, don't push yourself any harder though."** He said with a smile. **"Take care of yourself now."**

He nodded and got off Terrance's shell and back onto solid ground, and proceeded to leave the lake chamber, heading for his chamber to sleep. As he walked several females eyed him with smiles and a few of them snickered or even giggled as he passed them. As soon as he left a Glaceon began following him with a blush on her face, and he knew it was the same Glaceon that had been following him for three days since he began his training routine.

As he felt her aura getting closer, he silently ran through his memory to recall her name, and believed this particular Glaceon was called 'Icicle'.

" **Uhm… hey there!"** Icicle asked him nervously, causing him to look at her.

 **(Greetings Icicle, can I help you?)** He asked her, not breaking his stride.

" **Oh no you don't have to help me, I was uh, just wondering if I could just… you know talk to you?"** She asked him hopefully.

 **(By all means, but I'm going to rest as soon as I get back to my chamber.)** He said, returning to looking forward.

" **Oh I see… well that's alight then!"** She said with a slight chuckle. **"So how do you manage to do that? Running on the walls and even the ceiling?"**

 **(While I was training at the Tower of Mastery, one of my many daily training routines was to run up and down the tower's staircase.)** He replied as they headed down to the living chambers. **(Because I was so focused on my training, since I never really could connect to my previous human partner, I strengthened my legs and speed to the point where I could achieve that feat you saw before.)**

" **So you can do that whenever you want?"** She asked him. **"That's amazing, there aren't many in the pack capable of doing that."**

 **(Yes, but unfortunately its rather taxing on my legs.)** He said, not telling her that his legs felt like they had weights on them. **(As such I don't do it very often, and only here because there isn't much room for me to run around.)**

Icicle nodded in understanding but still couldn't resist blushing or smiling as she walked with him. **"Uh… can I ask you a question?"** She asked nervously. **"If you're so strong… why do you obey our Leader… I mean, you're so strong nobody in the pack would…"** As she talked she noticed him glancing at her with a piercing stare. **"I don't mean you should, I'm just curious!"**

He nodded and continued walking to his chamber before deciding to answer the Glaceon. **(It's because he is my true master.)** He replied. **(For a wild Pokemon like you it may seem strange, but for a captured, or 'Tamed' Pokemon like me, having a true master is more valuable than anything in this world to me. We work together, lending one another our strength, his presence makes me stronger and I use that strength to protect him.)** He glanced at her and smiled proudly as he admitted his reasons. **(I am proud to call Master David my master, he is strong, not stronger than me, but he is strong nonetheless. The fact that he defeated Scar in single combat, and became your leader, is proof of this.)**

Icicle shifted her eyes a bit before she spoke up again, just before they reached his chamber. **"So what is it about him that makes you obey him so loyally…? I mean… I know he's our leader but… you are so much stronger than anyone in the pack, so why him?"**

 **(Because, he is my best friend.)** He said, not knowing the exact answer to that mystery, but he knew without a doubt that David was his best friend. **(As long as I call him my friend, I have no need for any more reasons to call him master. As such, I will fight for him, and I will obey his every order without question or fail.)** He looked back at her and smiled happily, causing her to blush. **(Sometimes it's a greater strength to serve someone, than it is to rise up and strike them down to gain power for yourself.)**

With that he left her behind as he walked into his chamber, where he would have privacy.

As he walked over to his small bed, which was little more than an old blanket they found abandoned by some picnickers, he closed his eyes and started remembering a dream he once had, and continued to have even to this day.

" _ **What an explosive battle! I could tell that both Mega Lucario didn't hold anything back! With strong bonds like that, you shouldn't have any trouble triggering your Pokemon's Mega Evolution!"**_ _A familiar voice said, a voice belonging to Old Lady Korrina, but a younger and more energetic Korrina._ _ **"I think it would be best if you took that Lucario along with you on your journey. It's quite apparent that you two make an incredible team!"**_

 _He saw himself turn to look at the human trainer beside him, the one who had the same matching aura as his, and who he had come to respect and admire so easily for his strength and power. Without even exchanging any words, they both knew they would be together from now on._ _ **"Well there, what do you say, do you want to come with me, Lancelot?"**_ _The human asked, and his voice was just like David's, but also more energetic and younger than what his David sounded like._

 _He smiled and shook the hand, accepting both the name and the offer to join this Trainer's team._ _ **(I would be honored to stand by your side.)**_ _He replied, giving him an oath he swore he would never break._ _ **(I will fight by your side, no matter what foe we face, and I will always call you my friend no matter what happens in our lives. Master David.)**_

With that last thought, he knew that the vow he had made in his dream was the same vow he had made to 'his' David. How he knew this was true, he didn't know, but without a doubt he would never break his oath to his master, his friend.

So without a second's thought, he flopped onto his bed and promptly fell asleep.

=Terrance and the Life Before=

(Terrance's PoV)

" **Hello there younglings!"** Terrance said as he swam closer to shore, where all of the pups, kits, and young Pokemon of the pack were waiting for story time with their guardian Gentaal.

" **Hi Water Guard Terrance!"** They all shouted as he swam over to them.

" **Hello there Gentaal, how is the nursery?"** He asked the Luxray with a smile.

" **It's alright Terrance, its currently being cleaned."** He said respectfully.

" **And how is Azure, I hear you two haven't seen much of one another these days?"** He said with a grin.

At that Gentaal blushed and looked away nervously. Terrance knew that the Luxray loved that female Luxray, but was just too afraid to claim her as his mate for life. So he liked to poke fun at him to get him to claim her, before another male tries to do the same.

" **I've been busy with the young ones, so I haven't seen her much."** He replied.

" **Well I'll take care of them for now, so why don't you go and find her?"** He said with a grin. **"I think she was here earlier and was going back to her chamber to rest for the night watch. Why don't you go and pay her a visit?"**

Taking his suggestion Gentaal walked away with a deep blush on his cheeks, leaving the Lapras alone with the nearly thirty young Pokemon that the Luxray was caretaker of.

" **So younglings, are you ready for story time?"** He asked them all, knowing they waited each week for story time with him.

" **Yes Guardian Terrance!"** They all shouted.

" **Alright then."** He said, thinking of his next story that he planned to tell them. **"Tonight's story my younglings, is the story of the Ultimate Weapon!"**

He had been waiting to tell them this particular tale for quite a while, he knew of it from his dreams, and he believed that his dreams were more than just dreams. At least based on what he's learned about his mark, as well as the others.

" **Now listen well my young ones, for this tale is one that I have waited to tell you for many a moon."** He said, looking at all of the small forms below watching him eagerly to tell his story. **"Once, not so very long ago, there was once a great human of great power and great lineage, who believed that the world was corrupted and could not be saved."**

" **He sought to rescue the world by destroying it, and cleansing the world of the filth he believed existed. Because of this he planned to use an ancient device to destroy it, one capable of cleansing the world of all life, for it once did that very task."**

As he paused to let the suspense grow, he saw one of the young Vulpix pups looking curious as he told his story. **"Do you have a question little one?"** He asked the Vulpix.

" **Uh… mister Terrance."** He said. **"Why would a human do that? Isn't destroying the world a bad thing?"**

He nodded at the innocent question. **"Yes, indeed it is a bad thing, one would say that humans are the source of all the world's problems. For while we Pokemon perform bad things, we do not always know what is right from wrong. But humans are far more intelligent than we give them credit, and yet they perform bad deeds so easily."** He said with a smile. **"Yet for each bad human, there is always a good one that is of equal merit to them. So it was with that human who tried to destroy the world, where one human wished to destroy, another rose to challenge him and defend every creature's life on that world he loved."**

He resumed his story for the young, getting into the heart of the conflict he spoke of. **"The human who planned to destroy the world, wanted to cleanse the world to save it from overpopulation. But he did so knowing that the very creatures he loved, would also be destroyed, yet he could not change his path for he believed in what he was doing. He planned to use the Ultimate Weapon, a device that ended a great war thousands of years ago, and planned to do so again."** He looked at all of the pups and kits, and watched them stare intently at him, some with open mouths. **"As the device began to absorb the energy necessary to come to live, to fulfill its deadly purpose and cleanse the world of all life. A small group of humans entered the bud of this weapon, and challenged the group the human created, and attempted to stop it. Among the group was one human who valued all life above all other things, including his own life!"**

" **As the group separated, that one human encountered the very being that was powering the machine of destruction, the great Life Pokemon. The great one known as Xerneas, whom was trapped and whose power was being drained to feed that machine. Upon his arrival, she finally awoke and revealed her true form to him. Yet in her fear and desperation to escape the pain she was feeling, believed that her rescuer was her captor."**

He looked around at them all and paused once more to let the suspense build, before resuming the story. **"In an attempt to alleviate her pain and fear, he approached her with his arms raised and a soothing voice, and told her that she was safe, that he was trying to help her."** He said with a gentle nod. **"She was afraid at first, but as he held out one hand and stroked her muzzle, with not even a single Pokemon to protect him, and with soft words assuring her of his stance, she decided to trust him. With his offer to rescue and protect her, she accepted and allowed him to capture her, assured she would be safe from those who would abuse her."**

As he concluded that part of the story, he saw that the Vulpix pup from before had another question, so he asked him what was on his little mind. **"Uhm, Mister Terrance, why would Xerneas allow herself to be captured?"** He asked innocently. **"Isn't being captured means you'll be enslaved by a human?"**

Terrance shook his head with another knowing smile. **"Not really, you see some Pokemon like to be captured. Because when they are captured it starts a relationship between human and Pokemon, one that grows stronger with time. It creates a bond… that will withstand the tests of time…"** He looked around before chuckling. **"Well, at least that's what I'm told anyway! Now are you going to keep asking me questions little one, or can I finish my story?"**

With a shake of the young Vulpix pup's head, Terrance resumed his story where he left off. **"So it was that Xerneas, the great Life Pokemon, accepted being captured and joined the Human who had come to rescue her. Yet before he could leave with the life giver, and his friends, the human who sought to destroy the world challenged the one who would save it, in a final battle to determine the fate of the Ultimate Weapon."** He grinned wider as he saw the pups lean closer to him, eager for him to keep going and tell the ending. **"So they battled, their two teams of Pokemon, one with the will and desire to help their trainer destroy the world to help rebuild it from scratch. The other whose team felt just like their trainer, wishing to save their world, unwilling to let so many lives end when they deserved the chance to live! They clashed, two ideals so opposite from one another that not even the Tao Trio could compete with such beliefs. Their battle raged for what felt like days, seemed like hours, but lasted only mere minutes, yet it could just have easily gone on for eternity."** He bent his head low to tell them the climax. **"Yet through it all, the one who would save the world, and his team prevailed. With Xerneas' blessings and her strength behind him, he and they emerged victorious. In a fit of anger, and determined to make the victor suffer, the one who would destroy the world, channeled what was left of the Ultimate Weapon and flung its power at the one who would save the world. He wished to force him to live for eternity, making him wait for a 'New Tomorrow' that would never come."**

He rose back to his full height, and beamed down at them, before revealing the fate of the hero and the villain. **"The one who would save the world though, escaped with his friends, while the one who would destroy the world suffered alongside his Ultimate Weapon. The great destructive flower, which bloomed to destroy the world, was destroyed along with the man who awoke it. Thus ended the existence of the Ultimate Weapon, nevermore would it threaten the world. Thus life would continue on, and it is now up to us to make sure that the chance the one who saved us, and gave us, is not wasted."**

As he looked up and saw Gentaal walking back toward them from the lake chamber, he smiled and looked down at the young ones he watched over. **"And now, it is time to go back to the nursery, off with you all!"** He chuckled, much to the many moans and groans as they all wanted to hear more stories.

As the pups left with Gentaal, groaning that story time ended too soon, Terrance thought about the story he just told them. **"If only they knew the story was not merely a story…"** He whispered to himself, turning and swimming out into the lake again. **"David… I have a feeling, that these dreams… these visions we dream at night, are not just dreams. I believe… I truly believe… that it was indeed 'you'… who saved the world."** He looked at his reflection, and frowned sadly at it. **"But if you did… then that means you did not succeed in escaping unharmed. It means… you did die… in that nightmare we all suffer. You died… before you should have… when you shouldn't have… and yet it happened."**

He looked back at the cave entrance, and imagined his dear human friend, perhaps mating with his beloveds for the twelfth day so far since Lucy went into heat. He pictured his smiling face as he and his two mates laid with him, also smiling happily as they laid with their beloved human. **"I hope, that I'm wrong."** He whispered. **"I don't want those dreams to be true, not if it means that all of us died together… to be with you. If they are true, you'll feel even worse than we will… because you would have rather we lived and you died… then we die to be with you."**


	14. Chapter 13

_*I watched you grow up before my eyes…*_

 _*I was there as you took your final breaths…*_

 _*Yet you still don't realize who I am.*_

=Chapter 13, Karen's Memory Shower=

(Karen's PoV)

Karen yawned loudly as she led the group of foragers and other pack guards back into their den, bored out of her mind that another day went by without something fun happening. **"Whatever, another day another berry."** She commented, chewing on a stick she found.

Now that Lucy's heat had finally ended, after an agonizing seventeen days, he had returned to leading the pack normally. _***Agonizing to Master David at least…***_ She thought to herself, giggling as she imagined how long the time gap would be before their next rump. She also couldn't wait to see how long he'd go before fucking Lucy, Sophia, or any female for that matter. **"Who knows… maybe I'll finally be able to 'mate' with him."** She whispered to herself.

While they walked she overheard a few of the forage guards talking among themselves, and a few of them were talking about something they heard a few passing by trainers talking about while they were hiding. Apparently there was going to be a meteor shower later that night, and a few of them were planning on enjoying the special night with their mates. In fact a few of them were planning on actually spending the night 'mating' with them, as some of them were in their heats.

" **Seriously, why do they call it 'mating', why not just simply call it fucking and having sex?"** She asked herself as the foragers walked off with their berries to store with the rest of their winter reserves, while she and the other forage guards went to their sleeping chambers to rest up and sleep for the night. **"Honestly, wild Pokemon are weird some days."**

As she thought about the subject, her mind began to wander again, and her fantasy once more started to spin around in her mind. _***Ya know… tonight would be the 'perfect' night to spend some quality time with my master.***_ She thought to herself, even picturing it in her mind now that she thought about it. **"Yea… I can see it now… just the two of us, watching the night sky for the meteors to fall. We wouldn't even need to have sex… and after Lucy's heat, it might be better to let him have a few nights without sex."**

Smiling to herself, she sped up in her walk to head down to the Council of Elder's Chamber, where she knew he was currently talking to the elders to discuss some law. She couldn't wait to tell him her plan.

(David's PoV)

"So what exactly does this law entail elders?" He asked them. "Because I'm not sure I understand the ramifications of what happens if I do not change this law."

Earlier that day the elders requested his presence, saying that the matter was quite urgent. According to them, Nayru had a law that she wanted to bring to David's attention, and she was insisting that he change the law. What confused him was what the law actually was about, mostly because he just didn't understand it.

" **Very well Leader, we'll explain it further."** Kuma, the Mightyena Elder said respectfully. **"Several years ago while Scar ruled our pack, he instigated a law that forbade the practice of same gender Pokemon from mating one another. Before we simply ignored such 'oddities', because they mostly kept to themselves and were very few in number, so we paid them almost little to no attention."**

" **When Scar took leadership of our pack, he began instigating certain laws that he felt were necessary for the 'development' and 'continuity' of our pack."** Isis declared, looking at him with her sightless eyes. **"One of these was the one we bring before you, the forbidding of same gender relationships Leader."**

He nodded in understanding and kept a straight face, but inside his head he was thinking to himself of how strange the concept of Pokemon mating with those of the same gender they were was. He always assumed that a Pokemon mated one of the opposite gender then they were, at least that was what school always taught him to assume. Yet here was proof that even Pokemon might choose one of the same gender. "Okay, I get that now, but why do you bring it up now?" He asked.

" **Early last night, one of our night watchers discovered two females 'enjoying' one another, in the dead of night and in the cover of a bush."** Jen said now. **"They were quickly surrounded and brought back to the den to await your verdict with their punishment. As you had no foreknowledge of this law, we decided to inform you about it. Also, Nayru has expressed her wishes that this law be brought to your attention, so that you may change it."**

At that he raised his eyebrow and glanced at the elder Ninetales, who had so far remained silent since their meeting began. "Okay, so what are these 'punishments' that Scar would have inflicted upon this couple had he still remained Leader?" He asked.

" **According to Scar's decree, any same gender couples discovered, will be forced to endure different punishments based on their genders."** Yin, the elder Umbreon said. **"If the couple in question were male, both would have been put to death before the pack. As they are both females, their fate is far worse because of their gender."**

"Okay, do I even want to know what this punishment is?" He asked calmly.

Nayru nodded her head and spoke up at long last. **"Because the couple in question is female, their punishment is thus."** She said, looking at him with nervous eyes. **"They will be brought before the pack as a whole, and either they agree to each take a male mate and vow to never see one another again, or they will both be violated by every male member of the pack. If they still continue to refuse, then they will both be killed after being violated by every male member of the pack again."**

David flinched as that punishment was spoken, and now he understood why the elders wanted him to change this law. "Okay I see that, but why do you want me to change it now? Why not ask me before this happened?"

" **During that time you were currently 'tending' to your Prime Mate."** Yin replied. **"Also, despite our knowledge that you were a kinder leader compared to Scar, Nayru was afraid to bring up this particular law."**

Nayru nodded as everyone glanced at her, and she took a deep breath before she spoke to him directly. **"You see leader, I am in the same position as those two females."** She said, looking at him with hope. **"I am like them, I too do not like a male's touch and prefer the kind offered by a female instead."**

He looked between Nayru and the other elders before asking yet another question. "Okay, so you're a lesbian." He said, more to himself than to them. "So how is it you escaped Scar's eye, from what I've learned of this pack it's quite hard to keep anything a secret for long. If Scar knew you were a lesbian he would no doubt have killed you, or worse. So how come your still alive and also an Elder."

Nayru nodded before she looked down at one of her tails. **"My fellow Elders kept my secret for my sake, before I joined the council."** She said to him. **"For years I did have a mate before Scar took the role of Leader, and we kept our relationship a secret my leader. The only ones who ever knew, were those on the Council, and us. When he took the role, we kept our secret even more so, hoping that we would not be discovered…"** She looked up at him, and he saw that she was very sad and became even sadder the longer she spoke. **"However, former Leader Scar discovered about us, but only learned that she loved her own gender, not whom she was mated to. So he brought her before the whole pack, and demanded she admit who was her mate."**

" **Yet she refused, and so her punishment was public violation, until she gave my identity away. She screamed in refusal, yelling to me as I watched from the crowd to keep myself hidden from him. Finally, as the final male violated her before our eyes, he gave her the only mercy he would give and ended her life."** She took a deep breath before she looked at him with nervous hope now. **"Now you see why I want you to change this law. Those two females do not deserve the punishment that they would suffer under Scar's rule, and now that I have told you my secret, I too risk suffering that fate. Please Leader David, prove to me that what Isis said about you is true. Dissolve this decree and put an end to such a despicable law that took away my beloved mate... I ask you to not allow that couple quivering in fear to continue to do so. What we do with our significant others is none of the pack's business, we do not harm our pack with who we love, no matter our genders we do not deserve such cruelty to befall us."**

He nodded in understanding and declared his decree verbally. "Very well Nayru, then as Pack Leader I hereby decree that this law created by former leader Scar is dissolved." He declared loudly. "No couple of the same gender will suffer any such fate as long as I remain leader." He also smiled gently at Nayru and spoke softly to her. "Also I promise to keep your secret safe with me, and I offer you my sorrows for what befell your mate. If I could I would turn back time and reunite you two together, nobody deserves to lose someone precious to them."

Nayru smiled and shook her head. **"It's alright, I've made my peace long ago."** She replied. **"In any case, it gratifies me that you have finally destroyed this horrible decree that has haunted me for many a nights. I do not know if you believe in an afterlife Leader, but my mate can be at ease now."** She got up and stretched, having been sitting in that chamber for several hours with them all had made their muscles cramped. **"Leader, before we speak to the pack as a whole, may I suggest that we speak to those two females and inform them of the good news, as you did to the three mothers before?"**

"Yea, I don't see why not." He said as the other elders got up and began to leave. "Yara, Nera!"

While the elders left one by one, Yara and Nera walked in on all fours, being respectful to the elders as they passed them. **"Yes Leader?"** They asked politely.

"There are a pair of female lovers being watched over, do you know anything about them?" He asked them.

" **Only where they are being held Leader."** Yara said.

"Very well, can you bring them here and inform the ones watching them that I wish to speak to them." He said. "Also, begin gathering the pack together for a meeting, I have a new decree to make in light of this event."

" **Understood, we shall return momentarily."** Nera replied, bowing before both she and her brother left.

Moments later Yara returned alone with a pair of female Pokemon, a Vulpix and a Flareon. The Pokemon behind him were nervously glancing at one another, as if trying to assure one another that they were still together. "Thank you Yara, please go and assist Nera with what I asked her to do." He said, and Yara nodded and left him and Nayru with the two females in question. "Hello you two, I suppose you understand why I have brought you here?"

" **Yes leader…"** The Flareon whispered fearfully. **"But please don't make my mate suffer because we love each other, I ask you to let me suffer alone! She doesn't deserve to be violated in public for what we are."**

"Who said anything about making either of you suffer?" He said with a smirk.

" **Huh?"** The Vulpix asked in confusion. **"What do you mean?"**

David smiled as he looked at the Vulpix and Flareon couple. "I just finished declaring a decree that abolished that law Scar made." He said. "So you do not have to fear any retribution for what you are. I won't tell you what to think or what to do, but I will tell you to not be ashamed or hide who you are or what you are." He smiled even more widely as the two females before him started shedding a few tears of joy at what he was saying. "So don't be afraid to admit to the pack or to anyone of what you two have or what you two are. We all have a right to love someone, and we all deserve the right to be loved by someone else, regardless of who or what they are. Even if it's not favored or looked down upon, don't be afraid to admit 'I love whom I love, and I'm not ashamed or afraid to admit it', alright?"

" **Yes… leader… thank you!"** The Flareon said happily, still shedding tears as he heard his words.

He nodded and looked at the Vulpix, who nuzzling the Flareon now, but stopped when she saw him looking. "What are you so afraid of? I told you two, don't be afraid to show your affection for one another in front of anyone." He said.

The Flareon nodded and, after hesitating for only a second, leaned over and kissed her Vulpix mate on the lips tearfully, as her Vulpix kissed her back just as happily.

" **Yes, you two don't need to be afraid any longer for being with one another."** Nayru said with a look of longing on her face. **"Thank you Leader, but as I am tired, I will excuse myself back to my chamber for sleep."**

With that the elder Ninetales left, glancing one last time at the female couple she walked past as she did.

Deciding to let the two have their moment, he also left to head to the meeting hall to publicly announce his decree. Minutes later he sat before his pack of over two hundred members, noticing several new additions over the last few days. Of the new additions his pack had become home to, a family of Ariados and Spinaraks had taken shelter in his pack's den. Also seeking shelter was also a pair of Sevipers seeking shelter from a group of Zangoose that were hunting them.

This added roughly twenty new members to his pack, and while his pack had planned for such an event and rise in numbers, the spider Pokemon were more than happy to remain topside and live in the trees. They even agreed to act as protectors to a section of their territories Berry Trees, enabling them to divert their guard Pokemon to other areas and duties. As for the Sevipers, they agreed to act as watchers for his den, keeping an eye on the Trainers passing by and ensuring they stayed away from his pack's den entrance.

A few minutes passed as the room filled up more and the last few stragglers entered the chamber, and finally the last members showed up. Lucy walked in with Sophia next to her, and behind them were Lancelot and Karen, both of whom acting as their guards while Yara and Nera protected David. Both of his bodyguards took seats behind him and his two Prime Mates while they took their positions on each side of him.

Once everyone arrived, and both Lucy and Sophia were sitting next to him, he spoke up and silenced all conversations. "Everyone, listen up, because I have a new decree to announce, and it is one that I think is very important." He shouted. "Now then, it has come to my attention that yet another one of former leader Scar's decrees was created out of his malice toward a group of individuals, this time in the very pack he was leading. Because of him a very select group of individuals in this pack were terrified to admit their true feelings to the pack, for fear of the retribution that would befall them should they be revealed."

He looked around and saw that he had captured the entire group's attention, yet one pair of eyes that was missing was Scar's, which made him worry as he hasn't seen much of the former leader in the last few weeks. "This decree I'm talking about is the one concerning those Pokemon in the pack, who prefer their own genders over those of the opposite when it comes to mating." He said, looking around at the pack. "My belief still stands that all life deserves to live and have a chance of living no matter what, and it doesn't change when it comes to love. I believe that no matter who you love, nothing should prevent you from declaring your affections and sharing them openly with those around you. Everyone has the right to love whoever they are, and deserve the right to be loved by whoever loves them." He glanced at Lucy on his right, who smiled and nodded in understanding, and then glanced at Sophia, who also smiled and nodded in silent agreement.

"No matter who you are or who they are, what gender or what species both of you are, this is my decree: I hereby decree that this law which forbade those who were forced to hide their feelings is abolished, and in its place I say this! No matter who or what you are, you are all free to love whoever you wish, as long as your feelings are true then do not be ashamed to show your feelings of affection!" He said, and stood up alongside his two Prime Mates. "I am a human, yet I love both of my two Prime Mates, both of whom are Pokemon. I am not afraid to admit those feelings, so don't be afraid to admit yours."

At that declaration the crowd of Pokemon cheered and applauded him for his decree.

" **So that's what kept you away from us my love."** Lucy said to him as he sat back down. **"And here I was thinking you were just taking your time hiding."**

"As if I'd stay away from you Lucy." He said, taking a seat next to her and scratching her fur. "But please… not tonight, my limbs are still recovering from all the 'fun' we had over the last few weeks. Not to mention the mere thought of mating again makes me cringe."

" **Don't worry darling, we won't do anything like that for a while."** Sophia said with a chuckle. **"Though I will admit, you certainly have gained more 'stamina' over the last few weeks."**

"Really Sophia." He said.

After several more minutes in which he heard reports from his pack's scouts, mostly concerning the changing of the seasons and informing him that it was time to begin storing food for the winter season, he called an end to the meeting. As the pack began to leave David and his four Pokemon stayed behind to talk to one another.

" **So we have the rest of the night to ourselves, what should we do with it?"** Lucy asked them.

"How about we just relax and rest?" He asked them all, to which Lucy and Sophia giggled to themselves.

" **Oh, I'm in full agreement."** Sophia said, wagging her tail excitedly. **"A lovely la nuit au lit with our maître David, all three of us cozy and warm under a nice fluffy blanket."**

" **Uh… actually I have an idea."** Karen said quietly. **"Master David, I have a suggestion… you know… if you'd like to hear it."**

All eyes turned to the Braixen as she nervously held her arms behind her back, blushing slightly as she glanced around at anything besides David. "Well, go on and tell us Karen." He said.

" **I heard from some of the other pack members master… that there's going to be a meteor shower tonight."** She said, now glancing at him but still with a nervous tone. **"So if you'd like… would you be willing to watch the meteor shower with me Master David?"**

"You know, that's actually not that bad of an idea." He said, thinking about Karen's idea and actually liking it.

" **Yea, that's great!"** Lucy said with a smile. **"He can watch it with me! It will be the most romantic night of our lives!"**

" **Oh yea right, that's just another excuse for you to have sex with him!"** Karen shouted at the Absol, growling slightly as her tail stood on end. **"I wanted to spend some time with my master because up until now, you and Sophia have had him to yourselves! But Lance and I haven't even been able to spend one day with him without it being a job to guard him!"**

" **Well that's your 'job' to guard my mate!"** The Absol shouted back angrily. **"And if I want to spend this night with my mate, then I'm going to very well spend it with him!"**

" **You and Sophia spent the last two weeks with him!"** Karen growled again. **"Let the fox whose been searching all of Kalos for seven years have just one night with the master she's been hoping to find! It's not too much to ask for is it?"**

" **Why I oughta…"** Lucy growled before Sophia stepped in between the two girls.

" **She has a point Lucy, we did spent a very long time with our beloved David."** She said politely. **"Also, Karen raises a very good point about herself, she has been searching for very long for him, even enduring criticism about her being delusional. Why don't we just let the 'femelle de renard' have this one night with our darling?"**

As the three girls debated and argued about who would spend the night watching the meteor shower with him, Lancelot walked up to him and just crossed his arms. **(Forgive Karen for causing all of this master, but she has been wanting to be with you for a long time.)** He whispered to him psychically. **(She's just very tired of not being able to spend any time with you. Your two Prime Mates have you all to themselves each night, and she only gets to spend time with you by guarding you. Even then, she gets assigned to guarding foragers by Lucy, and because of that she's very lonely most of the time.)** He looked at him with an understanding look in his eyes. **(I personally don't mind, as long as you're safe I don't mind what I'm doing or where I am. But Karen has spent every day of her life fighting to be with you, believe me, there were days where she nearly starved because she wanted to keep searching for you.)**

"I can see that…" He commented to Lancelot as the three females continued to argue. "I just hope she doesn't ask to mate with me, I'm not sure if my body can take any more after experiencing Lucy's heat."

At that Lancelot blushed and quickly looked up at the ceiling, apparently suddenly finding it fascinating. **(She probably won't master, she's extremely shy.)** He said quickly. **(Though might I suggest spending this night with Karen? She most likely just wants to have some quality time with you and enjoy your company… and not in 'that' context.)**

He nodded and continued to let Lucy, Karen and Sophia argue for several more minutes, before he cleared his throat to make them look at him. "Alright, under the council of Lancelot, I've decided to watch the meteor shower with Karen." He said. "So Lucy, Sophia, can you stay behind until I return later tonight?"

" **Why can't we join you?"** Lucy moaned. **"It's a meteor shower, how often does a meteor shower happen?"**

" **Alright my love, we'll just head back to our chamber and wait for you."** She said politely. **"Come now Lucy,** **let's let our** **accoupler and our garde femelle de renard have one night together. It's only fair!"**

Lucy sighed and nodded in understanding, seeing that David would have his way anyway. "Thanks you two." He said, scratching both of their heads in gratitude. "We'll tell you all about the meteor shower when we come back."

" **Alright…"** Lucy said, nuzzling his arm in disappointment. **"Come on Sophia, our beds are awaiting."**

" **Right behind you… you 'Pokemon en cas de catastrophe cornée'."** Sophia whispered behind her in her Lumiose accent.

" **What did you call me?"** Lucy barked as they left.

David chuckled as he heard Sophia taunt Lucy, and knew that she couldn't understand a word of her accent. "So how long until this meteor shower happens?" He asked Karen.

" **Uhm… I don't know… I know its later tonight but I don't know exactly when."** She said with a nervous blush.

"Well then we best get going to get good seats." He said with a chuckle, walking to leave the meeting chamber before he noticed Lancelot following as well behind them. "Uh Lancelot, didn't you advise me to just spend it with Karen? Why are you coming along?"

 **(I figured you might need some protection, who knows what Pokemon might attack you outside at night.)** He said to him psychically.

" **What you're really saying is you don't trust me to protect our master!"** Karen growled angrily, putting her paw on the stick in her tail. **"I may not be as fast as you Mr. Quick Feet, but I've got more than enough 'fire' power to match you! I can protect our master easily and with no effort. I am his guard as well you know."**

 **(I'm not saying that, I just want to be on the safe side!)** Lancelot replied angrily.

"I understand Lancelot, but I trust Karen to protect me." He said with a smile. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have asked Lucy and Sophia to leave me alone with her for tonight."

Lancelot nodded and bowed respectfully to them. **(Very well, if that is what you wish.)** He said to them, before looking sternly at Karen. **(Karen, keep him safe, I'm counting on you!)**

Karen grinned as she pulled her stick out of her tail spun it around with it lit before skillfully placing it back in her tail, extinguishing its flame. **"As if I'd have it any other way."** She said with a smile. **"After you master!"**

"Let's go." He said with a smile, leading the way toward the den entrance while Lancelot headed off to the lake chamber.

=Thirty Minutes Later, Outside=

(Karen's Pov)

 _ ***Oh sweet Arceus, pinch me I must be dreaming!***_ Karen thought as she sat next to her master as they leaned against a tree, watching the sky darken by the minute. _***It's just him and me, just HIM and ME!***_

They had left the den half an hour ago and had made their way to a nice clearing in the forest by the road, where they could see the meteor shower. They had even seen a few of their fellow Pack Members along the way with their mates, also wishing to enjoy the meteor shower. She had noticed that each couple had picked their spots where they could have privacy, and Karen wanted the same for her special night. So with his help they had picked their spot next to the road in the cover of a lone tree, with a couple of bushes for privacy.

"Welp, it's just us and the night now, waiting for the meteor shower to happen." David said, yawning as he leaned against the tree. "So Karen, any particular reason you wanted it to be just me and you?"

 _[Unwavering Emotions Music – you'll know when to stop listening]_

 _ ***Oh master if only you knew!***_ She thought to herself as she blushed and stiffened, but instead of admitting what she was thinking she said something else. **"Oh uh, you know, just wanted to spend quality time with you!"**

"Is that it?" He asked her as she snuggled closer to him, leaning against him and keeping her face hidden.

" **Yea… that's all."** She said as her mind began a raging debate as she heard his heartbeat thanks to her ears. **"I just wanted to have you to myself for one night, you know…"**

Half of her was screaming at her to ask him to fuck her, while the other half was too shy to even say anything about the subject. She wanted him to take her, she wanted her first time to be romantic, and she wanted him to take the lead in claiming her. She was his Pokemon, she would do anything he asked, but she wanted everything to be perfect for her first time.

While her mind battled and argued with what her next move should be, she and David continued to sit and watch the night sky as it began to fill with stars.

Ten minutes passed in silence as they simply sat and waited for the meteor shower, before David finally broke the silence. "So Karen, tell me more about you." He asked her. "I mean, I've heard your story but I still don't know all that much about you."

" **Huh?"** She said. **"Oh, you want to know more about me?"** She looked up at him before looking back at the sky above him. **"Well, if you want to know, I suppose I could talk about my life starting from the very beginning."**

"Go ahead, we got time to kill." He said softly.

Karen looked back at him and looked into his eyes, especially his left eye, the eye with the X mark. **"Well master… when I was born I was the third born in a litter of six from my mother, a Delphox named Kindle."** She declared, looking back at the starry sky. **"She was a very strong Delphox, and my first Trainer wanted me bred from her to compete in something he called the Pokemon World Championship. When it came to deciding who would be adopted, I was the one chosen, sure the rest of my litter were different than me, but according to him I was the strongest, so I was picked. Not only was I the strongest but I also had learned a move that, normally, I shouldn't have been able to learn. The rest of my brothers and sisters were traded away to people across the world… same goes for my mother and father, once I was adopted they both were also traded away."**

"That's… really depressing, I'm sorry…" David said to her.

" **It's alright, when you're a competitively bred Pokemon, you get used to it pretty quickly."** She said sadly. **"In any case, I barely knew my mother and father well enough to miss them, same with my brothers and sisters. I just hope they didn't grow up with the same trainer I had."**

"What was your first trainer like?" He asked her.

Karen took a deep sigh and continued her story. **(My first trainer was alright, he was just as I expected from a competitive battler in the World Championship League, and believe me it's a step up from the Pokemon League most Trainers compete in.)** She said, recalling her early memories of her 'first' Trainer. **(I call him my 'First' Trainer because early on, I realized that he wasn't my Original Trainer, despite him being the very first Trainer I ever had. I had this feeling, I can't really describe it, but he never commanded the same loyalty I would have given to my Original Trainer, to you.)** She looked back him and smiled happily. **(A few days after I was adopted, I began my training as a Fennekin to go into the competitive scene as a Special Attack Striker, with an emphasis on Special Defense, and a slight focus on improving my speed.)**

"Special Attack Striker?" He asked her.

 **(Special Attack Striker, it's the term my First Trainer used to describe what I was focusing my main efforts to improving.)** She replied, looking back up at the sky. **(Basically, it means my special attack moves that don't require physical contact to attack my opponents, like my Flamethrower. I was being trained to use Special Attacks to defeat my opponents, and absorb Special Attacks aimed at either my partners or myself. There's different combinations of Strikers, Walls, and other kinds of Pokemon in the WCL, I was just one of many.)**

They sat in silence as she let her master absorb all of that information before she spoke up again, continuing her story. **(After I began my training, I realized that I didn't exactly like my First Trainer as much as I figured I would. It wasn't that he wasn't mean or unfair, far from it, he treated me with the same respect he showed the rest of his team. Yet whenever I looked at him, I found myself not really liking him, and wanted to leave and find my Original Trainer, but according to my ID card in the database, my OT was him, but for some reason he never felt that way to me.)**

 **(After a few months of training, I began to really show how strong I was, I had a pension for improving my fire attacks, but where I really showed my strength was my hidden ability.)** She said, pulling out her stick and lighting it. **(You see master, all Pokemon have abilities, and I was bred to use my Hidden Ability, something called 'Magician'. Basically what it means is that whenever I use a move and I hit my opponent, I take away whatever item they may be holding, it's a pretty neat trick.)** She sighed as she extinguished her stick and stashed it back into her tail. **(So that's how my first few months were, lots of intensive training, learning how to use my powers, and just getting myself trained to perfection.)**

"You make it sound like that was the easiest part of your life." David whispered, scratching her behind her ears and making her purr.

She purred loudly as she slowly climbed into his lap, enjoying the contact and almost forgetting her fantasies about him. **"Well… it was."** She said with a sad chuckle. **"It gets worse from then on."**

"How bad did it get, I mean you told me your story back when we were in Pack Delica, but exactly how bad was it?" He asked her.

She sighed and looked back up at the sky. **"Well, it all started about six months after I was adopted and began my training."** She said, remembering those days most clearly. **"After a few months, I evolved into a Braixen, and when I did my abilities grew in power, as expected when a Pokemon evolves. He was quite happy with my evolution, once I evolved again, I would be the strongest Delphox he's ever trained. That was the plan from the start, become the strongest Special Attack Striker for his team. Combined with his Umbreon 'Wall', I would be one part of his strategy. Yet… when he talked about me evolving into my Delphox stage, is when I began to resent him."**

" **I continued to train, improving my abilities and learning new moves under my first trainer. But then the day came when I was strong enough to evolve into my Delphox Stage, and that was when it all started going downhill."** She said, closing her eyes and sighing deeply. **"The first attempt to evolve me failed, and he just passed it off as me just not being ready. But then the next attempt occurred, and then the next. Eventually he figured out that it was me preventing myself from evolving, and then he started to get upset and frustrated with me. I refused to evolve for him, despite how well he treated me or how hard he tried. So, he did what all other competitive battlers do when their Pokemon is useless to their strategy, and put me up for trade."**

They sat in silence again as she recalled her next trainer for him. **"So that was my loving 'First Trainer' master, I was his prized Special Attacker when I did everything he asked, but the moment I deviate from his plan, I was useless. He wanted a Delphox because that was stronger than a Braixen, so when I refused to evolve, he gave me away for something that would work for him. My next trainer figured out early that I didn't want to become a Delphox, and so tried a new approach."** She sighed as she hated how she treated her second trainer, even though she deserved it. **"She tried to bond with me, you know, get friendly, get to know me, she even gave me treats and snacks to try and get me to evolve. But I saw through her plan the instant she gave me the first Pokepuff. I refused to evolve for her, just like I refused to evolve for my first Trainer. After a few months of trying to get me to evolve, she gave up and decided to trade me away just like my first Trainer did."**

She held her paw up and looked at it, admiring how sharp her nails were despite never once ever using them in battle. **"That's how it was Master David, for the next eleven years I was traded from one trainer to another, each and every one of them trying to evolve me and getting frustrated when they learned it was impossible."** She said to him. **"I would not have minded being with any of them, but I didn't like the thought of simply 'evolving' because someone wanted me to. I liked being a Braixen, and I was strong, I was super strong after all of that hard work and training I went through with each trainer."** She sighed as she put her paw down limply. **"But it wasn't good enough because of one single fact, I wasn't a Delphox. For all the power I had, for all the skills I learned, all of the tactics and strategies I mastered to perfection, none of it mattered because of that one simple fact. I was trained to be a great Special Attack Striker, but as long as I wasn't a Delphox, what I could do didn't matter one bit."**

They sat again in silence as she let everything she told David sink in, and she knew what he was thinking, after all he was her true 'Original Trainer', and all Pokemon know their OT's inside and out.

Especially if they were their 'starters'.

"Why did you never meet any nice trainer, I'm sure that after seven years you must have met at least one or two decent trainers." He whispered.

" **Like I said before, I never wanted any other trainer besides my Original Trainer, and I never considered my 'First' Trainer to be my OT."** She said. **"It was strange, most Pokemon become friendly when they meet new trainers or are traded to their new trainers. Yet I was the opposite, each time I got traded I was less friendly and more passive towards them. It didn't matter how friendly or nice they were, I just never liked them as much as others would have or did. With each new trainer I was traded to, I became less responsive, more uncaring about them, occasionally ignoring their instructions and doing what I wanted. I obeyed them but I never once liked them or considered them my friend, they were just my 'Trainer', nothing more."**

"So, what happened with your last trainer?" He asked her, reaching with one hand to scratch the fur on her arm. "You said before that your last trainer got fed up with you."

She nodded and held his hand with both paws, liking how soft he felt to her and how warm he was, despite being a fire type. **"My last trainer, I believe he was my thirty seventh trainer to own me, he was a bit like my sixth but was far meaner."** She said softly. **"When he learned that I didn't want to evolve from the previous trainer who owned me, he decided to try and force me to evolve, though he used more extreme methods…"**

"What do you mean by 'extreme'?" He asked her with a concerned voice.

She sniffed as she remembered her last trainer, those days being the worst and clearest of all. **"He trained me and I obeyed just as I did with the others before him, but whenever I lost a battle or fainted, he refused to get me treated at a Pokemon Center."** She said sadly. **"Whenever I won and stopped myself from evolving, he would kick me when I was distracted by my forced cancelation, and would make me walk for the rest of the day with a limp. Sometimes he even ordered my partners to attack me, just to get the message across, saying that he wasn't taking my crap like the other idiots I had. Some days he would even heal my pains with potions just to inflict them again, or even force me to eat bitter medicinal herbs on my own without any knowledge of what I needed for my injures."**

She began softly crying as she remembered how many injuries she sustained with her last trainer alone. **"This went on for a month… a whole month master…"** She whispered, burying her face in his shirt to hide the tears. **"Then one day, after I refused to evolve once again… he finally said he'd had enough of me!"** She moaned. **"He then released one of his Pokemon, a Gabite, who he was training to Mega Evolve… and gave me two options. He said if I wouldn't evolve to become stronger so our team could assure victory in the upcoming championship, then I would 'service' him and his team as their personal 'pleasure' fox."**

(David's PoV)

"A Gabite, but isn't Gabite resistant to fire type Pokemon?" He asked Karen as her story came to its conclusion. "How did you escape?"

" **It wasn't easy… let me tell you!"** She said with a sad chuckle. **"His Gabite was resistant to my fire type moves, and he had trained it for heavy physical attacks and high speed, similar to Lance. At that time I only had three moves that I could use, my fourth wasn't useful to me because I refused to evolve. I only had my Flamethrower, and my other attacking move to rely on, Psyshock."** She looked up at him and smiled. **"When I refused to evolve for him, he told his Gabite to knock me unconscious so that he and his team could 'knock me up'. He was a 'Pokephiliac'… you know, one of those sick humans who fantasize about fucking Pokemon. He was wanting an excuse to fuck me, so when I refused to obey him, he got his wish."**

"Pokephiliac, you mean what I am?" He asked her, remembering how many times he's had sex with the females of his pack, in particular Lucy and Sophia.

His Braixen shook her head and purred contently. **"No master, you're different, Pokephiles fantasize about having sex with Pokemon. What you do is 'mate' with them, you do it for romantic reasons. And mating female Pokemon in heat isn't the same either, since what you do for them is to help them and they ask you for help. The females you mate with are happy to do so and they feel honored…"** She looked back at the ground and looked sad again. **"What he wanted to do to me was simply for his own sick pleasure. So I fought to get away, and fought I did. It wasn't easy master, believe me, there was a moment when I was on the verge of fainting. But the thought that if I could win my freedom then I could look for my true OT, drove me to keep going and fighting."**

" **Eventually… I did it… I beat his Gabite, and the other five members of his team to win my freedom."** She said proudly, looking up at the sky with a smile. **"Then, I gave him some payback by knocking him out, and took my Pokeball with me so that I could give it to my true OT when I found him."** She looked at him and held the chain around his neck with one paw. **"That was what kept me going… knowing that you were out there, and that when I'd find you, I could give you my Pokeball. Because I knew you wouldn't be like the other Trainers I had, you'd be nice to me, and you wouldn't treat me like I was some kind of tool or something."**

"So why do you insist on keeping this thing?" He asked her, taking the Pokeball chain and expanding the ball to look at it. "I mean, you don't need it anymore, it's not like I'm going to be entering any challenges, and I'm not going to order you around. So why do you want me to keep it?"

" **You know the old saying, home is where the heart is?"** She said with a smile, to which he nodded. **"Well now you know, for years that Pokeball was my home, the only permanent home I ever really had. So I figured, give you my home so I always know where it is."**

"Thanks…" He said, giving her a little scratch behind her ears, causing her to purr happily. "But there's one question that I need to ask, why do you like being a Braixen so much? Why don't you want to become a Delphos?"

" **That's easy!"** She said with a giggle. **"If I evolve, it changes who I am! I liked being a Fennekin, but I love being a Braixen more! It's who I am master, and I don't want to be forced to change who I am."**

"Well I'm glad you are who you are." He said with a smile. "You don't need to change who you are, just because someone else tells you to. So if you want to keep being a Braixen, you go right on being a Braixen."

At his words Karen began shedding new tears, but tears of joy this time. Though just before she could utter another word, a brilliant series of flashes of light shined above them, causing them both to look up. "The Meteor Shower!" He said, looking up and seeing the many streams of light appearing and flying across the sky. "Look at that…"

" **Wow…"** She whispered, looking up as well and staring in amazement.

They sat there and watched the meteor shower, their first ever meteor shower in their lives, and both treasured the moment. Unconsciously thinking, David picked up Karen and placed her on his shoulders, using the tree to keep her balanced so that she didn't fall off. There they sat and continued to watch the meteors fly across the night sky.

Then, just as the shower began to reach its conclusion, Karen shifted her weight to try and get a better angle so she could see more, and accidentally unbalanced the two of them.

"Whoa…" David shouted as he fell sideways, throwing his hands out to break their fall while Karen wrapped her paws around his neck to hold onto him.

They landed on the ground and after a few seconds, the realization of their position hit both of them as they found themselves staring into each other's eyes just mere inches from one another. Karen didn't move an inch as she kept ahold of his neck, but the longer she stared at him, the more prominent a blush appeared on her cheeks, despite the white fur that was obstructing it.

(Karen's PoV)

 _ ***He's… on… top… of… me!***_ She screamed in her mind while her body stayed perfectly still, unwilling to move out from under him as she stared into his light blue eyes. _***Oh sweet Arceus… this is… PERFECT! Its night time, we're all alone, under the fading moments of a meteor shower, and he's now on top of me after I gave him my life's story. This couldn't have gone anymore perfectly… and I didn't even plan any of this!***_

She took a gulp of air, trying to think of something while in this position. _***Okay now Karen, don't screw this up! He is all yours, just play your cards right… and its goodbye 'vcard', and hello to the first of many 'one night stands '.***_

(David's PoV)

Unsure of what to do he just merely continued to stare at Karen his Braixen, who looked like she was just as afraid to say anything. Then she shifted her eyes and tentatively spoke up. **"Master…"** She whispered nervously.

"Yes Karen…" He said, feeling his cheeks getting hot the longer he continued to stare this closely at her face.

" **Master… if you would… be willing…"** She said, nervously looking at anything but his face. **"I'd be… honored… to share my first kiss with you…"**

"Your first kiss?" He said. "I thought you and Lance…"

" **No… as much as I like him… he's just not… my type…"** She whispered, looking back at him with a nervous gulp. **"So please… would you… be my first? I'd rather it be someone… I t… trust and… love. You don't have to… but… it w…would… m…make me the h…h...happiest in my life!"**

"Are you sure about that?" He asked her.

She nodded hesitantly, but he saw the conviction in her eyes. She was serious about this, she wouldn't have asked for something like that unless she was determined. So slowly, because he was still unsure about this, he lowered his face toward hers as she angled her face so their lips could meet.

(Karen's PoV)

 _ ***YES!***_ _She screamed enthusiastically in her mind, adjusting the angle of her mouth so she could kiss him while also closing her eyes._ _ ***Just a few more inches, and I'll have my very first kiss!***_ A few more agonizing seconds passed as she felt him inching closer and closer to her mouth. _***Oh yes… just a few more seconds, and I'm taking my vcard out of my purse, and 'swiping' it for the first and last time!***_

Then, just as he was a few centimeters away, literally so close that she could feel him breathing through his mouth with her own, she heard a twig snap nearby.

Instantly her defensive instincts kicked in, and she went wide eyed and alert. David had also heard the twig snap from somewhere, and both of them got up in surprise.

 _ ***Great…***_ Karen angrily thought, going into a defensive stance and pulling out her stick, lighting it on fire and preparing herself for battle. _***Whoever interrupted my fantasy night that I've been dreaming of for all these years, had better have a GOOD reason for doing so!***_

A few seconds later a bush opposite them rustled, and a group of seven Linoone walked through it and towards her and David.

Behind them, with a scar running down the side of his face, was Scar the Houndoom.

 _ ***Vcard… looks like you get to stay in the purse for a little while longer…***_


	15. Author's Note 2

=Author's Notes=

Hi everyone, just another note here, wanna thank you all for loving my fic/reading it :D

Anyway as you can see, things are about to heat up, literally, but I won't spoil anything! Gata wait.

In case your wondering, I'm currently in school atm, so chapters will come out slower than during summer. ACH I hate school.

ANYWHO, I have a question, do you guys prefer the 'filler' chapters, the ones that delve into the daily routines of members of the pack. Or do you prefer more lemons?

Perhaps a combination of the two?

Let me know in a review, and who you'd like to see be paired up with our boy David next XD (No Yaoi's, I know some girls might read this and tell me that) Perhaps I should finally give Karen a round or two with him? Or should he go back to Lucy/Sophia? Or someone new?

Any case, next chapter is, as you can see, a major conflict in the story, and what happens to the current and former Pack Leaders of this particular pack, will have a serious impact on the story.

Also… have any of you noticed who has been saying those little 3 line messages at the beginning of each chapter?

I wonder who that is… hmmm… :D?

See you next time!

(And to the person who pm'ed me to do a lemon between Arceus and Jacob from my other fic, Arceus' Book… you are sick…)


	16. Chapter 14

_*You became a family together…*_

 _*All of you came to care about each other…*_

 _*You must protect one another.*_

=Chapter 14, Battle Scar=

(David's PoV)

David watched seven Linoone step through the bushes with Scar the Houndoom behind them, glaring fiercely at him while Karen took a defensive stance. "Scar, what are you doing here?" He asked the former pack leader, though he obviously knew what Scar was doing here with several Linoones, each of whom had their sharp teeth exposed along with their claws kneading the dirt.

" **I'm here to reclaim my position in the pack!"** Scar growled, letting strings of fire escape his mouth with each word. **"I've had enough… of you human. You've led this pack for long enough and you've caused enough damage with your presence! It's time a Pokemon took charge of this 'Pokemon' pack, the way it was before…"**

"You're here to reclaim your position?" He said, taking a step back while Karen shifted her position to keep an eye on all of the Linoones and Scar. "I can't let you do that Scar, not after all of the suffering you've caused. I don't care what you think you're doing, but the way you treat these Pokemon is…"

" **WHAT I DID, I DID TO PROTECT THEM!"** Scar roared. **"I only did what was necessary to keep them safe from humans, but what you've done is ruin everything I worked and fought for!"** He glared at David as he breathed heavily, flames actually escaping his nostrils with each breath. **"Before you showed up, I was the most respected, admired, and well treated member in this pack. But then you had to take over, and instantly everyone turned on me. You made decrees restricting me, your whore of a 'Prime Mate' relegated me to pathetic duties, and you even abuse our females with your 'human' touch. I say no more…"**

"You say I'm abusing them, but how come the one they feared more was you!" He shot back, balling his fists up and actually taking a step forward. "You made laws preventing any mother you mated with to have male offspring, killing their pups before they can fully experience their first day of life! You forced Pokemon who love their own genders to hide what they are for fear of what you'll do to them!" He glared back angrily at the former leader, letting each memory of the abused and mistreated members of 'his' pack flow. "You even forced your own advisors, the ones whom you're supposed to trust the most, to fear for their lives and do whatever you say. You threatened Yara with death and banishment, and used Nera as a bargaining chip to keep him in line. You even forced yourself upon her to the point where she had to accept it as part of her life, raping her whenever you wanted and giving her no say in the matter. And Yara… you drove him to the brink of despair, making him feel like a failure as a brother. His job was to protect and care for his sister, but you pushed him into thinking he was a failure!"

Scar didn't budge or change his look while David shouted and ranted. Instead he merely growled and glared continuously. **"As I said, what I did, I did to protect and ensure the survival of the pack!"** He said. **"Before you showed up, everyone was content with my leadership, nobody argued and nobody challenged me. Anyone who dared to defy me remained very quiet about it, and those who did met the same fate you will!"** He took a step forward while the Linoones hissed and growled in anticipation. **"These Linoones were driven off their home because of you! When you banished my son, you drove him into a neighboring territory, leaving him nothing to go to. So he took his anger at you out on that territory's Pokemon, and these Linoones have been itching for revenge against the one who's responsible for their 'eviction'."**

" **Don't even think of it Scarface!"** Karen said, whipping her stick around and flashing the fire on it with skill born of years of practice. **"David, stay behind me, and whatever you do don't run!"** She glanced at him with a serious look on her face before looking back at their enemy. **"I can fight them easily, but if you run while I'm busy fighting them, I can't protect you as easily."**

"Can you handle them all?" He asked her, worrying for her safety since she was outnumbered eight to one.

" **Please, seven wild Pokemon and one misfit 'tamed' Pokemon?"** She said, spinning her stick again while taking an aggressive stance. **"This won't even be worth the effort master, I bet this will be no more of a sweat then my morning workout!"**

" **We'll see about that… you slave to a HUMAN! Let's see how you talk when I burn your 'master' to ashes!"** Scar roared as he shot a flamethrower at David.

David tried to get out of the way, but before the flamethrower could even reach him and even before he could take one step, Karen jumped in front of the flames with her arms spread wide and stick stashed back in her tail.

"KAREN!" He yelled, watching as she blocked the flames with her own body, not even letting him even feel the warmth of the heat from it.

While Scar continued to release the Flamethrower against his Braixen, he looked around to see the Linoones angling themselves to attack her and him. After a full minute of Scar scorching Karen, he closed his mouth and ended the Flamethrower attack, and stared wide eyed as Karen stood before him.

Without a single hair on her body being burned.

(Karen's PoV)

" **Was that all you got?"** Karen said, looking back at David with a grin before turning her attention back to Scar. **"Really, that was your best 'Flamethrower'?"** She declared as she pulled her stick out and lit it. **"If that's your best shot then I take back what I said… my morning workout is tougher than that! You call that a Flamethrower Scar? THIS… is a Flamethrower!"**

She concentrated for only a second to focus her attack's power, and then aimed the stick at a point just above Scar, before letting loose a massive and concentrated stream of fire that was three times as large as the one she absorbed to protect David. Not only was her Flamethrower three times as large, it was also five times more powerful, incinerating the very air particles around it, so fast that it reached the limit of its existence twelve feet into the air. Her flame was so bright as well, that it practically lit up the night around them, and had the tree been in front of her she might have set it on fire with just the heat!

After she gave her demonstration, she stopped her attack and stashed her stick back in her tail. Now that the 'skirmish' phase of the fight was over, she began to focus on her opponents, the seven Linoones and one Houndoom.

 _ ***Okay, seven Linoones, and by the looks of those claws and their teeth they are approximately each level thirty to thirty five.***_ She thought quickly, glancing around at them all. _***Scar's Flamethrower was pretty weak, it barely did any damage to me. By the looks of his fangs and claws, and the toughness of his hide though, he was trained for physical attacks. Not the smartest choice since his species excels better at special attacks, and by the way his flame felt, he clearly has either no IV's in that department or very little. As for the Linoones, they are all physical attackers to the letter, and they each look capable of dealing good damage."**_

She looked at David behind her and wished he were a trainer, she wasn't used to battling without one, and always used tactics and strategies she learned from her training to compensate. But since she's never faced eight Pokemon before in this kind of situation, she didn't have much of a strategy to go on.

 _ ***I can easily defeat any of these guys one on one, but taking physical attacks is not my forte. Physical battles are more Lance's specialty with his speed and attack power. I'm not trained for defense, and I've only got three moves to use besides my 'secret weapon', and I can't risk using it with David so close to me!***_ She looked at Scar as he growled, revealing his sharp fangs to her. _***If only this were me against the Linoones, I could easily trump them and go back to making out. But with Scar here, I can't even use my Psyshock attack because he's immune to it, and if I mistime my attack and he gets in the way, I'll waste a good move and expose myself.***_ She shifted her gaze to the Linoones now and watched them getting ready to charge. _***Oh well… no pain… no gain!***_

" **Well what are you waiting for?"** She shouted, taking a step forward and waving her stick around. **"Come at me then!"**

At that three of the Linoones charged straight at her, using their famous Headbutt attack. Unfortunately for them, she was used to this kind of style from wild Linoones, and she used their most flawed weakness against them by simply running forward a few inches and using her Flamethrower to singe one of them as they ran past her.

" **Typical Linoone, always starting off with a Headbutt!"** She yelled as she dodged another one, and focused her attack on the previous Linoone she hit. **"Too bad you can only run in a straight line!"**

As the next Linoone charged her, she realized that if she attempted to dodge this one, he would head straight for David. So instead she released yet another Flamethrower, and attempted to burn the Linoone to a crisp. But instead of the Linoone taking the hit, Scar had jumped forward and absorbed the flames, and as the flames tickled his body she realized what his ability was.

" **Damn, Flash Fire… my flames are useless against him!"** She cursed, before she felt several jabs of pain hit her from different sides of her body. **"Ugh!"** She moaned, as the Linoones she had avoided Headbutted her from different sides, smashing into her and causing her intense pain.

 _ ***Damn… even if they are over fifty levels below me… that hurts…***_ She thought as they retreated to Scar's side, who was grinning eagerly as she collapsed to one knee, still clutching her stick.

" **So much for all of that talk."** He gloated. **"I knew how you'd fight, that's why I came prepared… you should have brought more guards 'Leader'."**

(David's PoV)

David watched as his Braixen fought her hardest against the Linoones, but outnumbered seven to one now, she stood no chance alone. "Karen, we need to get help!" He shouted to her, wishing he could help but knowing he couldn't.

" **How… if we run… they'll run us down!"** She moaned as she got back up, panting as one arm clutched the other, still holding onto her stick. **"Don't worry about me master… I can still win this fight!"**

He admired her ferocity and determination, but he wasn't interested in her boasting just to impress him. He knew she was in trouble and was desperate to help. "Is there anything I can do to help Karen?" He asked her.

(Karen's PoV)

" **Just… believe in me!"** She said, taking a few steps forward and preparing for battle again. **"Alright Scar… time to ante up!"** She declared, waving her stick and spinning it furiously, creating a ring of fire as she focused her psychic powers to make a colorful barrier around her body. **"Reflect, activate!"**

As her move took effect, a thin multicolored barrier covered her body. Thanks to her move, she was now more resistant to physical attacks, if she could endure the Linoone's attacks she might stand a chance of winning.

" **Gut her!"** Scar ordered, and the six remaining Linoones charged Karen again. **"Whoever brings her down can fuck her, but leave the Human to me!"**

She grinned as the Linoones all charged at her in a straight line, before releasing yet another Flamethrower, badly burning another of her attackers, removing him from the fight. Yet the other five continued their attack, and all of them smacked into her at full speed, causing her to flinch in pain. She was knocked back some distance but managed to land back on her feet, but only a few feet from her master.

" **Even with Reflect active… I can't take those hits for long."** She whispered as she stepped forward.

Realizing that if this battle continued the way it was going, David was in danger of being killed made Karen grow desperate to end it or at least even the odds. But as the Linoones backed up to Scar again, preparing to charge yet again while she gasped for breath, she realized that she was in deep trouble.

 _ ***Lance… help me!***_ She begged in her mind, taking her stick and preparing to attack again. _***I can't take much more of this… please… help me!***_ She took a few steps forward, determined to protect her master with her life. _***If I can't win this… Master David… will die!***_

(Lancelot's PoV)

Lancelot knelt in the lake chamber with several members of the pack watching him as he prepared to commence his second run of the night. He wouldn't have minded watching the meteor shower, but seeing as his master wanted to spend it with Karen alone, he felt his time was better spent training and keeping himself in shape.

So as he focused his energy and looked straight at the wall with everyone watching, including Terrance, he charged at full speed to the wall, then leapt and began to run up the vertical wall, maintaining his speed and concentration to stay running on the wall. As the gasps of amazement rose from the crowd below, he judged the distance and pushed as hard as he could to run along the roof of the chamber, and kept his focus on the ceiling to keep himself from looking down.

But as he made it halfway across the ceiling, he felt his vision suddenly shift, and instead of the lake chamber, he was outside the den, peering through the eye of Karen as she held her stick before her face.

 _She was panting heavily as a group of Linoones charged her, behind them Scar stood, glaring daggers as she was knocked back by a series of Headbutts. As she landed face forward her vision showed David, standing and backing away from the battle, but blocked by a tree as he refused to leave the scene._

 _ ***No… not… like this!***_ He heard her thinking. _***I won't… let you die… master… I won't give up! I'll fight… to protect you! Because I know you would protect me!***_

As his vision returned he lost control of himself, and began falling to the water below as all of the Pokemon gasped in shock and horror. As he fell he couldn't control his descent, all he could do was brace himself as he plunged deep into the underground lake.

When he went under he struggled to get back up, but thankfully Terrance did that for him by swimming under him and allowing him to grab ahold of his shell. Then he surfaced and let him take a breath of fresh air. **"Lancelot, did you see that?"** He asked him.

" **David's in trouble!"** He shouted as Terrance swam to the shore as fast as he could.

" **Go, I'm useless on land!"** Terrance said as he slowed to a stop, allowing Lancelot to jump off and make a dash toward the chamber entrance, ignoring the looks of confusion from the various members of the pack.

(Lucy's PoV)

 _*Squeak*_

" **Do you have to make that thing squeak every time you chew it?"** Lucy said to the Furfrou as she sat in her soft bed, happily chewing on one of her squeaky toys.

" **What, I like my squeaky toy!"** Sophia barked, ignoring her as she continued to chew on the toy Substitute.

" **Honestly, how can you find chewing on something that squeaks like that fun?"** Lucy asked the Furfrou, glaring at the toy with distaste. **"That thing is so annoying it makes me want to slice it up, just to shut it up!"**

" **Don't even dare touch my squeaky toy!"** Sophia growled, going back to chewing her toy. **"This is how I spent much of my time back in our cabin. David often went out for long periods of time, and I liked playing with my squeaky toys to pass the time."**

" **Ugh, that thing makes me want to…"** Lucy growled before suddenly she felt her vision shift from what she was seeing.

Now it was like she was seeing through the eyes of Karen as she held her stick before her face.

 _She was panting heavily as a group of Linoones charged her, behind them Scar stood, glaring daggers as she was knocked back by a series of Headbutts. As she landed face forward her vision showed David, standing and backing away from the battle, but blocked by a tree as he refused to leave the scene._

 _ ***No… not… like this!***_ She heard her thinking. _***I won't… let you die… master… I won't give up! I'll fight… to protect you! Because I know you would protect me!***_

As her vision returned to normal she saw Sophia looking at Lucy with a fearful expression, squeaky toy forgotten as they realized they had both seen the exact same thing.

" **David's in trouble!"** They both shouted, before rushing to their paws and running out of the chamber.

(Karen's PoV)

" **Ugh!"** Karen groaned as she was hit yet again by the Linoones, before wearily getting back up and pushing them back with a desperate Psyshock.

She had knocked out another Linoone, but with each assault they made against her, they weakened her further and ever closer to her David. If she was knocked out now he didn't stand a chance, and that was why she was so desperate to win, so desperate that the longer they fought the more likely she was to use her 'secret weapon', despite how dangerous it was.

" **I'm not… finished yet…"** She whispered, limping forward with her stick ready to battle again. **"I can still… win this fight!"**

Scar laughed heartily as he stepped forward, now with only a few feet standing between him and her, and her standing between him and David. **"Tell you what, 'fox', if you agree to step aside… I'll be nice and let you live."** He declared. **"I'm only interested in that human behind you, and reclaiming my title as Leader of the pack. If you get out of my way, I'll leave you alone while I kill him and regain control of 'my' pack!"**

Karen shook her head angrily as the Linoones took up positions to attack her again, and she knew that one more round would result in her going down. Despite how strong she was, she had no training in resisting physical attacks, she was a Special Attack Striker. However all of her attacks were useless against this Houndoom, he had Flash Fire, meaning fire attacks were useless against him, and being part dark made him immune to her psychic attacks.

Her Reflect barrier was beginning to lose its cohesion, another hit and it would fail, then she would be completely exposed to her attackers.

And if she's defeated, then David would have no hope against Scar and four Linoone. She knew he defeated Scar one time, but by the sounds of it, he only won by the narrowest of margins. She also knew that if Scar was anything like a 'trained' Pokemon, then he would not let the same mistakes happen to him again.

She glanced back at David who was staring at Scar, and she saw the worry in his eyes. He was afraid for her, not that he'd be injured or killed if she was defeated, but for her getting injured just to protect him.

If it weren't for their current situation, she would have felt loved.

Instead, she felt more determined to protect him. **"Master… get down."** She said, deciding that she had no choice but to use her 'secret weapon'.

"What?" He said back.

" **I said… get down…"** She said again, taking her stick and holding it in front of her face to concentrate. **"I've only got one more move to protect you with. But it's risky and dangerous, if I use it, there's a huge chance that you'll get hurt in the process."** She looked at the Houndoom and his Linoone allies, and glared at them angrily for making her resort to using this move. **"So get down… because that's the only hope I have to keep you safe now! If you're not flat on the ground you might get caught in the blast…"**

(David's PoV)

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her, clearly not knowing what was going to happen.

He knew from some of the books he read about Braixen and the sticks they keep stashed in their tails. According to it, when they pull the sticks out of their tails, the friction caused by the action lights it on fire, and they use that flame to create their many fire based attacks. By concentrating their latent psychic powers on the flame, they can expand it and focus its power and energies to create powerful flame based moves like Flamethrower and Fire Blast.

However, it also said that the stick served another purpose, allowing them to concentrate and focus those very same psychic powers to create psychic moves like Psyshock, Psybeam and even defensive psychic moves like Reflect and Light Screen. It also said somewhere that to maintain the flame on the stick, without burning it out required the Braixen to use a portion of its psychic powers to keep the flame 'tamed' and in control.

What separated a Braixen using its stick from a Delphox using its stick, was that a Braixen needed the friction from its tail to light the stick on fire, while a Delphox could set it alight using its powers to burn it at will. A Delphox also had far more control and could perform far more powerful moves because of its increased psychic powers. So if Karen was hinting at some move that she could only do with great risk, then it must be a very powerful or dangerous move.

"Karen, are you going to be alright?" He asked her, hoping that she would be safe above all things.

(Karen's PoV)

" **Yes master… please, I have to do this… it's my last resort."** She said, closing her eyes as she focused all of her energy. **"Get down, and whatever you feel, don't get up until it's over…"**

As she gathered the energy necessary to use her final move, she opened her eyes and glared at Scar. **"Scar… your Linoone friends are finished!"** She declared, pointing her stick at him as she watched the flame begin to grow in size. **"I'm knocking all of them out in one blast!"**

" **Hah, don't even try to bluff me, I know all about Braixens from my 'underground battle' days."** Scar declared. **"Your species has no moves capable of knocking out multiple Pokemon at once, all of your attacks are single targets."**

" **That's where you're wrong… I can learn a few moves from my parents, which can attack multiple targets…"** She declared. **"But this is a move that I shouldn't be able to learn, and that's because it's so powerful that only my fully evolved form can handle it!"** As she glared she took a deep breath and prepared to use her final move. **"Alright Scar… let's see how well your 'friends' like a taste of my BLAST BURN!"**

She waved her stick and watched as a ball of flame appeared from the stick, and expanded outward before exploding, engulfing everyone and everything within ten feet from her. She used all of her control to keep the explosion heading away from her master, but some trace of the flames touched him regardless of her attempts. Fortunately most of the heat and destructive power was directed toward her opponents, and this saved her master from the worst of the flames' effects.

The explosion of fire encompassed all of them, and within seconds the flaming explosion dissipated as the oxygen keeping it alive was expended. In the aftermath, Karen was panting heavily as she held her stick, which was barely lit because of how tired she was. Her exhaustion was evident, as she collapsed to one knee, unable to move because her attack required so much energy and power just to create, let alone control.

Blast Burn was indeed her most powerful move, if a Delphox had used it, it would have been far more destructive and controlled. But because she was a Braixen, she couldn't control exactly how it worked, and each time she used it she barely had the strength to walk for almost an hour.

Yet her move had worked, she had knocked out the remaining four Linoones, and their brethren who had regained some semblance of consciousness were dragging them away now in retreat, unwilling to keep fighting her.

But Scar was still up and standing, unaffected by her move. **"I… won't… warn you… again!"** She yelled, gasping with each breath she took. **"Get… away… from my… master… or else!"**

" **All you've done is made it easier for me to kill that human."** Scar said, nodding behind her.

Karen looked back and saw with horror that she had misjudged the power of her attack. She had severely burned David's back, destroying parts of his clothes and exposing burned skin. If she had used any more power, the damage would be irreparable. From what she saw, he needed treatment soon or the burns would get worse the longer they stayed the way they were.

Wearily David got up, and she could see the pained look on his face. "I'm alright Karen… but what about you?" He asked.

" **You… idiot!"** She whispered angrily. **"Get out of here… I can't move! Run while you have a chance… leave me behind… I'll distract him while you run!"**

"Not a chance, I'm not leaving you behind!" He said, stepping forward to stand between her and Scar. "I am not letting anyone I care about die. I told everyone this before, but if it comes down to me or a member of my pack, where our lives are at risk. Then I am quite happy to die to save them…"

" **No!"** Karen yelled, desperately trying to stand up to get in front of her stupid master. _***Damnit master… why do you have to be so brave as well as handsome!***_

" **In that case Human, YOU CAN DIE RIGHT NOW!"** Scar yelled, flames tickling his fangs as he lunged at him.

(David's PoV)

David raised his arms to protect himself, but he knew this time he couldn't beat Scar. Last time he had surprised knowledge to aid him, and Scar's belief that he was weak and pathetic to use against him. This time Scar had injured him, wounding him to the point where he couldn't move effectively, and he didn't have anything to help him in this fight.

He was at Scar's mercy now, but as he charged with fangs bared and ready to slice into his skin, another Houndoom jumped at Scar from the side and knocked his attack off course. This Houndoom had smaller horns that had been cut off, so that they were shorter and ended flatly while Scar's ended in points. This second Houndoom also lacked a scar, and was slightly smaller than him.

When this second Houndoom attacked he had knocked Scar off target and into the ground, but he quickly recovered and swiped furiously back at the mysterious attacker. **"ARDENT!"** He roared angrily. **"What in the Distortion World do you think you're doing!?"**

Ardent, the second of Scar's sons got up and stood between David and him. **"Protecting… our pack leader father."** He said determinedly. **"I will not… let you hurt him!"**

" **GET OUT OF MY WAY!"** Scar yelled, sending a Flamethrower at his own son, watching as he refused to budge as the flames engulfed him.

As the flames ended Ardent was revealed to be hurt, as his body had uncharacteristic burns on it. But still he refused to budge as his father continued to glare angrily at him. **"I'm not… letting you… hurt our pack leader!"**

" **You fool, don't you get it!"** He growled viciously. **"If I kill him, I'll be pack leader, than you can have whatever you want! Your brother can come back to our pack, and the three of us can control this pack!"**

"What's going on here?" David asked himself as he watched Ardent and Scar argue and fight.

" **I don't know… but the longer they argue the more I can recover…"** Karen whispered as she limped in front of him, stick in her pawn and gasping for breath.

" **I'm telling you for the last time, GET OUT OF MY WAY!"** Scar yelled at Ardent, who stood his ground as he stared at his father.

" **No… we are supposed to protect our pack leader… not kill hime!"** Ardent said, refusing to move. **"I don't care if you are my father, I will not let you hurt our pack leader if I can help it!"**

" **Then you can JOIN HIM IN DEATH YOU TRAITOR!"** Scar roared, swiping at Arden's face and scratching causing a massive gash on his face, knocking him to his side before bathing him once again in flame.

Once he stopped his attack, Ardent was revealed once again to have withstood the attack, but barely. The gash on his face had scabbed and there were bad burn marks across his muzzle and hide, but he was still breathing at least. He was struggling to get back up, but Scar was ignoring him now as he advanced on David and Karen.

" **Now… to kill you… and reclaim my position!"** He roared, opening his mouth and preparing another Flamethrower.

However just before he could release his attack, yet another interruption occurred in the form of a blue sphere smacking into his side. David recognized it as an Aura Sphere, one of Lancelot's attacks. As he watched the very same Lucario appeared in a flash, spun around and delivered a powerful kick to Scar's side, sending him spiraling away.

Before he could land, Lancelot charged once again, and delivered a series of powerful kicks to the Houndoom while he was still in the air, so fast that his feet seemed like a blur. Then the Lucario grabbed him by the tail, swung him over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground, creating a very large dent in the earth and even sending a few small rocks skyward with the force of his attack. Finally, with a furious glare, Lancelot held his hands together, condensed yet another Aura Sphere between them, and sent it straight into Scar's face at point blank range. The attack was so powerful that a dust cloud even appeared when it made contact. Yet Lancelot still wasn't satisfied as he leapt high into the air and created two individually small Aura Sphere's in both hands, and sent them straight into the dust cloud, one after the other before landing.

There was an eerie silence as Lancelot jumped away, and landed in front of David and Karen, battle stance set as he faced Scar. All that could be heard was the harsh breathing of everyone in the area, even Lancelot's breathing could be heard.

"Is he…?" David asked Lancelot.

 **(No… he's alive.)** The Lucario said as the dust cloud began to settle. **(And apparently, he got away…)** He said, when the dust cloud dissipated enough to reveal that where Lancelot had slammed Scar, was an empty space. **(He pulled a substitute move at the last second before my attack made contact. Confusing me before I could realize what had happened, forgive me master… I let him get away!)**

"No problem… at least we know he won't be coming back." He said wearily, collapsing to the ground in a sitting position.

 **(Master!)** Lancelot shouted, quickly running to him and looking at his back. **(What happened, how did this happen to you?)**

" **My fault…"** Karen said as she wearily walked over to them, stashing her stick into her tail. **"I had to use my Blast Burn against the Linoones, or else I would have lost. But I got Master David caught in the attack. Forgive me master… I didn't mean to hurt you…"**

 **(Blast Burn?)** Lancelot shouted. **(What were you thinking Karen, you can't control that move! It's too powerful for you, you can barely use it let alone control it!)**

" **I was desperate… I had to do something…"** Karen said, hiccupping as she began to cry.

"It's alright Karen, you did what you could." He said, scratching Karen's ears as she hugged him. "Is Ardent alright?"

Lancelot ran over to the wounded Houndoom and declared he was alive, but injured. **(I'll take him to his chamber after we escort you back to the den!)**

"Well, let's get going…" David declared, before a shriek was heard, and he recognized it as Lucy's.

" **DAVID!"** The Absol yelled as she ran at him, her scythe horn prominent in the moonlight. **"Love, speak to me… what happened to you?"**

" **Darling!"** Sophia barked as she ran as fast as she could toward him, moving slower than Lucy was. **"Oh darling, thank the maker you're safe and sound!"**

"I'm alright you two, but please, I'm really tired and not exactly feeling well." He said, shakily standing up.

It was then that Lucy and Sophia noticed his back and gasped in horror. **"How did this happen!"** Lucy yelled. **"Who did this to you, I'll rip them to shreds I swear it!"**

"It was Scar… he tried to kill me with a group of Linoones he brought to help him, but Lancelot drove him off." He said, limping as Lancelot walked over to them, carrying Ardent who was passed out now. "His son saved mine and Karen's lives, if he hadn't stalled his father when he did, we would have been dead. As for the burns… Karen did it by accident, but it was necessary to save me. If she didn't she would have been beaten and I would be dead now."

" **We can discuss all of this later, for now let's get back to the den!"** Sophia barked, taking the lead but staying close to David. **"If I ever find this Scar again, I am going to rip off his dick and feed it to Carvanhas!"**

" **I'll help you!"** Lucy growled as well, walking on David's right and helping him walk by letting him lean on her a little.

=Thirty Minutes Later, in Karen's Chamber=

(Karen's PoV)

Karen laid on her small bed made up of old blankets, breathing slowly as she recovered her strength from the battle earlier. She was watching as David walked into her chamber with a limp, while Sophia walked alongside him.

After they returned to the den, Lucy had ordered Nera and Yara to round the clock guard duty until he recovered. She had ordered some Rawst Berries be taken from the reserves and brought to David so he could be healed of the burns he had. While the medicinal berries were applied, she called the pack together and declared that Scar was to be treated as a banished Pokemon, decreeing that he be killed on sight if any of the pack's members saw him.

She also had his son, Ardent, treated as well, but she had ordered Lancelot to watch him until they could determine if he was acting 'against' or 'with' Scar.

As for her, Karen had spent the last half hour lying on her bed, regretting ever asking her master to watch the meteor shower with her.

"Hey Karen…" David said as he sat next to her. "What's wrong?"

" **Hi master…"** She whispered, full of shame as she stared at anything but him. **"It's all my fault… if I hadn't asked you to watch the stupid meteor shower with me… you would have been perfectly safe."**

"Don't blame yourself Karen, we all make mistakes." He said, rubbing the back of her neck soothingly while picking her up and holding her in his lap.

" **But I'm your guard… my first duty is to protect you… and I did the opposite today… just because I wanted some alone time with you…"**

"Well that may be, but it isn't your fault." He said, causing her to look at him and see that he was smiling. "Don't be afraid to admit your feelings Karen, I made a decree that said to not be afraid to admit your feelings. So what if I got injured because you loved me and wanted to express it. We all have feelings that we need to show, and you couldn't think of any other way."

" **But you got injured…"** She moaned, leaning into his chest and crying.

" **Darling, you can't make an omelette au fromage lunch without breaking a few eggs and melting a bit of cheese or butter."** Sophia barked with a smile. **"Next time you want to profess your love for my maître, take the direct approach, and simply save us the trouble. Just tell him… which reminds us…"** She said, looking at David who nodded.

"I have a present for you Karen, something we didn't get to finish." He said, and leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

Karen was in shock but quickly overcame it as she closed her eyes and melted into her first kiss, accepting his tongue's request for admittance into her mouth and letting it explore to its content. She moaned happily as she let her arms wrap around his neck, and pushed against his lips harder so that she could prolong it. She was in absolute paradise, it was just like her fantasies, he was in control and she was submitting to him, just how she always wanted their relationship to be. With him dominating her and she simply giving into his wishes and desires.

As the kiss ended she became very aware of her cheeks blushing, and saw that when their mouths separated a strand of saliva connected their tongues together and she was panting for breath. **"Master David used tongue… it was super effective…"** Karen whimpered, letting her tongue hang out as it begged for her mouth's visitor to return. **"Karen is infatuated with the opponent… Karen is unable to move due to her infatuation…"**

" **That's all you get for tonight Karen!"** Sophia barked. **"You'll have to wait until he recovers fully before you can have your chance with him in bed! Speaking of which, come along ma chérie, we've a chamber waiting its resident, and it's well past my bed time. Tomorrow I expect you to brush my fur!"**

"Until next time Karen." He said with a chuckle.

" **I can't wait…"** She said quietly as she let go of David and watched him and Sophia walk out, but saw him smile and wave goodbye to her before leaving.

 _ ***Best… night… ever…***_ She thought to herself, leaning back onto her bed, grinning as she imagined him fucking her now. _***I can't wait… to lose my vcard!***_

(Scar's PoV)

Scar panted as he limped as fast as he could through the night, leaving the territory he once controlled and heading north. He laughed with what little breath he could spare as he imagined what that foolish human and his 'slaves' were thinking now, picturing them searching the area for him when he was long gone.

Sure he had gotten beaten up, and the Linoone he tricked into attacking the human were no doubt limping out of this territory with their lives, but everything had been worth it. He hadn't taken back his pack, but he knew he couldn't have kept the pack under his control with those Pokemon of the human's there. He had played his part of the plan, now all he had to do was regroup with his son and hope he fulfilled his part of the plan.

The only stumbling block had been his other son, if he hadn't interfered then things would have been different. He could have killed the human, and fled, but instead he had to use his 'Substitute' move in order to escape. If he hadn't been forced to use it, he could have saved himself the effort and stamina to make a getaway.

" **Damn that Lucario though… he sure packs a mean kick…"** He growled to himself as he limped onward. **"I'm going to need help… to regain control of my pack."** As he went on through the night, he wondered how far along his son was. **"Hopefully he's with my old pack on Route 10… then we can begin plotting to take over this pack… and all the others!"**


	17. Author's Note 3

=Author's Notes=

" **Howdy Boys and Girls, it's me, Anasi of the Golden Playhouse, didja miss me kiddies?"**

 ***wink***

And me you seductress, I told you, stick to the ponies and your bar, and leave Pokemon to me.

" **Oh boss, so mean to little old me, you haven't written anything for our pony fans in ages, I just wanted to have a bit of 'fun' you know."**

Yea, that's what I'm afraid of…

" **Well boss, let's get down to business shall we, things are going slow these days now that your classes are going."**

Yea I know, right now I'm working on a chapter for Arceus' book, every week I'll alternate between the two poke fics.

" **Now now, don't worry your itty bitty heads boys and girls. Boss is working his hardest, and while we're all waitin on this next chapter for our boy Jacob, you kiddies can get to decide on a name for another character for our boy David to meet. She's going to be a Froslass who's a member of David's Pack, in particular, she lives in the winter reserves chamber, keeping everythin fresh."**

You just gata spoil everything don't ya?

" **You created me boss."**

I hate it when you break the 4th wall, your worse than… uh… hang on a second I needa come up with a character.

" **While you do that, I'll get back to our kids. You heard me right boys and girls, now this Froslass needs a name, something dashing, something special, but no alas she's not going to bang our boy David. No her destiny is with another member of the pack… but I won't spoil that. In any case, can one of you boys or girls give our boss here a little hand? Just suggest a name in a review or pm the name to our boss."**

" **You'll know who you are when that chapter comes out!" *Winks***

Okay until then, see you next time!

And you, get back to your bar!

" **Oh, getting dominant are we… I like that in a man!"**

Ugh…


	18. Chapter 15

_*We all have a choice…*_

 _*I wonder if you had been given that choice…*_

 _*What choice would you have made?*_

=Chapter 15, Night's and Days among the Pack=

=Lucy's Midnight Duty=

(Lucy's PoV)

Lucy watched as her Prime Mate, as well as Leader of the pack snoozed during the night with the second Prime Mate Sophia sleeping beside him as well. She was nocturnal by nature, and spent half of the night awake and the other half asleep.

Or at least that's how she 'normally' would spend it, if during certain nights she had sex with David.

Alas, this was not one of those nights, so she was watching her beloved human snooze with a worried expression on her face.

It's been two weeks since Scar's attempt to kill him, and had Karen not held her own and Ardent not stalled him when he did, he would have succeeded. She doubted if David even knew how close he had been to death.

" **Those burns weren't exactly minor, Karen's Blast Burn sure did a number on your back my love…"** She whispered quietly to herself. **"It took all of our Rawst Berries to treat your back, and even then it took you three whole days before your skin returned to normal. If you had died…"**

She shook her head and yelled silently at herself for even thinking such a thought. He can't die, not now that she's finally gotten her long time wish and mated with him. She wanted to live the full Absol lifespan with her beloved human, and die of old age with him beside her. She couldn't bear to think losing him.

She returned to looking at him sleeping beside her, and her cheeks warmed up as she saw him smiling slightly at whatever dream he was having. **"Oh how I wish I could join you in your dreams my love."** She whispered, blushing as she edged closer and nuzzled his cheek softly, being very careful to avoid hurting him with her sickle. **"I wonder what your dreaming of right now… is it a happy dream where you and I are in it, or are you dreaming of Sophia and you? Or even all three of us?"**

She honestly didn't mind sharing her human with the Furfrou, seeing as she had even more right and reason to love their human. After all, she was born in the same human city as he was, in the same family and even on the same day. They were together their whole lives, friends and companions all their lives, and she knew that the Furfrou loved him dearly.

Speaking of the Furfrou, she admired at how strong the pet poodle was, she admired at how devoted she was to her master and friend. Despite not having a powerful muscle in her body, she refused to allow herself to be raped for as long as possible over a month ago, and even though she barely ran the distance, she still raced to the aid of their mate. She guessed that if they had arrived fast enough, Sophia would have put herself in harm's way to protect him just as he nearly did for Karen.

As she watched the two, her stomach rumbled slightly as she realized that she was thirsty. _***If I had it my way, I'd be filling up on something besides water.***_ She thought to herself with a smirk as she got up and walked over to their water pool.

As she got her drink she admired her reflection in the water, and noticed something that wasn't there.

Her belly was still slim and normal, exactly how it was 'before' her heat began. Her heat had ended, and apparently without the pregnancy that she had been wanting. She frowned sadly at her reflection, and asked how long it was going to take before she finally got pregnant with his pup.

" **I mean come on… he fucked me at least eight times a day during my heat."** She whispered to herself. **"Eight times… most females in the pack are lucky to go two rounds with the leader. Not to mention the times he mated with Sophia… by now we should both be pregnant."** She sighed sadly and wished her reflection would stop looking normal. **"I knew from the beginning we might not be compatible, but I had hope that maybe we could make it happen."**

"Talking in the night are we?" A voice said behind her, and of course it was none other than David.

Lucy looked back to see him walking toward her before sitting beside her and scratching her fur where she like it, along the side of her face. **"Hello love, did I wake you up by mistake?"** She asked quietly, noticing Sophia was still fast asleep.

"Hard not to wake up when you have an Absol nuzzling your face." He said with a hearty but quiet chuckle. "So tell me Lucy, what are you doing up at this time?"

" **My species is nocturnal by nature, we spend half the night awake and the other half asleep."** She replied with a blush. **"It's just one of those times during the night when I'm awake and not asleep."**

"You really need to learn how to lie to me Lucy."He said with a chuckle. "What's really keeping you awake tonight Lucy? I'm your leader as well as your Pokemon equivalent of a husband, if there's anyone you should be able to talk openly and honestly with, it's me."

She nodded and looked up at him with sad eyes, staring into his light blue eyes that seemed filled to the brim with calm emotions and gentleness. **"David… when will I get pregnant with your pup?"** She asked him sadly. **"I mean… it's been almost three months since you've become leader, three months since you claimed me as your mate. I even went through my whole heat cycle with you, I should be pregnant by now."** She looked back at her reflection and stared at her belly, subconsciously rubbing it with her paw. **"But look at me… still slim and thin, no enlarged belly, no egg, just the same old Lucy. I knew from the moment I met you that we might not be compatible, but I always held onto hope that if I went into heat and took every sperm you could give me, that maybe I could have at least one egg with you."**

"So then we'll keep trying." David said with a smile, touching her cheek and making her look back into his eyes. "Sophia and I both know it's almost impossible for a human to get a Pokemon pregnant, unless that Pokemon has a similar body type. But she accepts that, she doesn't care if we might never have pups despite what she says. She's happy to be with me, whether we mate or not mate, and just as she told me before she loves me no matter what."

" **But you don't understand love… I'm your Prime Mate…"** She said, looking down at the floor in shame. **"One of my duties is to give birth to your pups… what good am I if I don't get pregnant at least once?"** She sighed as he continued to scratch her fur, then yawned as she felt herself suddenly very tired. **"Even if I love you David, if I can't give you pups then I'm not an ideal Prime Mate. Heck… even Karen now is more of an ideal Prime Mate for you because she can have a chance to get pregnant with you."**

"Maybe Lucy, but as much as I'm sure Karen loves me, she's just a very dear friend to me." David said quietly to her. "Besides, I think she just wants to mate with me for the sake of mating me, I don't think she wants to become Prime Mate."

" **Well at least we know my position is safe."** Lucy whispered as she turned her body around to stare at him. **"But what about me getting pregnant, my main duty is to have your pups."**

"Well I'm not sure about how I can go about getting you pregnant…" David said with a grin as he pulled her close to him, so that they were on eye level. "But I know that until you do, we can keep trying. Besides…"He whispered as he leaned closer to her ears, causing her to blush. "You owe me for waking me up in the middle of the night…"

Lucy grinned back as she kissed him deeply, allowing him to lean her on her back so that he was on top of her. **"As your Prime Mate, one of my duties is to mate with you, whenever or wherever you want…"** She whispered quietly as she began to get in the mood with her sex getting wet. **"If my mate wants to mate with me, I will not deny or refuse him… but what about Sophia, won't we wake her?"**

"Not if we're quiet…" He said very quietly, leaning forward and silencing any more words from her with yet another kiss. "Now… what say we give getting you pregnant… another try?"

" **Lets…"** Lucy moaned back before she was silenced by her lover's lips.

As they kissed, she began wiggling her lower body into position right below his member, and began to rub it to get him aroused. She kept her eyes closed as she enjoyed the blissful kiss they were sharing, happy to know that even though she wasn't pregnant, she was still his Prime Mate and still loved by him.

This just made her more determined to suck out every bit of his seed to fertilize her womb.

After a few minutes of kissing, in which the bulge in his pants had grown exponentially large, they separated so that they could go to the main event. **"You know love… because of how late it is… perhaps we should just make this a quick one."** She whispered quietly as she felt his dick rub against her sex's lips.

"In that case, what are we waiting for?" He said with a grin as he pushed into her, electing a loud moan of pleasure from both.

" **I can't… keep quiet… with how good you feel!"** She said as he began to thrust into her, very fast and very hard to reach their climaxes as fast as possible. **"You feel… amazing… no matter how many… times… we do… this!"**

"I know one way…" He moaned as he continued to thrust, before pulling her mouth into a passionate kiss, locking lips with her and not letting her moans escape.

" **Hmmm!"** She moaned happily, letting her tongue dance with his as he continued to thrust in and out, the tip of his dick poking into her womb, asking for entrance with each jab.

As he thrust harder and harder into her womb, she began to feel her orgasm approach, rather quickly just like they had hoped, though she wanted it to be longer because she loved having sex with her human. Still she couldn't keep him awake all night, he had to deal with duties in the morning, just as she did.

So as soon as he began to pick up his pace and thrust harder, she knew it was time to end their mating for the night.

She wanted to scream her love for him, but all she could do was moan her words. **"Hmm!"** She moaned. **"Hnng… hmmhmmhmm… mHMMM!"**

He pushed against her mouth as hard as he could, and thrust one final time before she felt something warm and sticky flow into her womb, his seed. She moaned loudly into his mouth, unable to let it escape because they wanted to not wake Sophia up. As she released her own fluids onto his dick, she felt his dick releasing the last of his seed into her, signaling the end of their sexual highs.

They parted and panted for breath, blushing at how fast they had mated, as well as how close they were to one another.

" **Now that… was quick…"** She whispered quietly.

"Yea… it was…" He whispered back to her.

They panted for a few more minutes before they finally separated, getting up and heading back to their bed, with David zipping up his pants. Then they collapsed on the bed and she placed her head on his chest to sleep for the night. **"Duty… fulfilled… for tonight anyway…"** She whispered to him.

"Did you do that out of duty, or for love?" He asked her.

She grinned as she looked at his face, a twinkle in her eye as she gave him her response. **"Both…"**

=Winter Worries=

(David's PoV)

"So what you're saying is that the leader of Pack Logan is paying us a visit in six days?" David asked the female Houndoom as he sat in the main meeting hall.

A few hours ago one of his pack's scouts reported sighting one of the scouts belonging to Pack Logan in their territory. In response some of their guards were sent to investigate, and one of them had returned, a female Houndoom by the name of Synestra.

Despite her name, she was far more humble than she let on, much to the relief of David, who at this point had the impression that all Houndooms were violent or viciously territorial.

" **Yes leader, according to his scout, he will be arriving in six days to discuss something important with you."** She said with a respectful nod. **"The reason for this is because he is dealing with some problems in his own territory with a neighboring pack intruding upon his pack's territory. So he will be arriving here in six days to speak with you."**

"I see, thank you very much Synestra." He said.

" **Your welcome leader."** She said politely while Lancelot watched them both from the side. **"Leader, may I ask about Ardent?"**

"You may." He said. "He's recovered from his injuries and is currently protecting a group of foragers Lucy sent south."

Synestra sighed in relief at those words. **"That is good, I was afraid that maybe he would have suffered far worse injuries."** She said. **"Leader, I hope you don't take the actions of Scar and his son, Vicious, as something all Houndoom do. Though we are very proud of our power and will challenge any who would rise against us, not all of us in the pack view you the same as Scar did."**

"Is that why Ardent didn't join his father in trying to kill me?" He asked politely.

" **Yes… you see… when you took charge, Scar began trying to find other members of the pack who disapproved of you as well to join his attempt to reclaim his title."** She said with a worried expression. **"Of course he tried to get the Houndooms and Houndours of the pack to join him first, but before he could speak with us, Ardent reached us first, and urged us all to support you as our rightful leader. Something about how it is the pack's duty to support and protect its leader."**

"Well it's nice to know that some good came from Scar." David said. "Is that also why Ardent was avoiding contact with his father all this time?"

" **I suppose so… he's not a very talkative Houndoom among us, and with how few Houndoom there are in the pack, it would have been a shame to see him leave or die."** She said with a smile.

As he nodded in understanding he noticed something about Synestra's horns that begged him to ask about them. "Forgive me for asking but…"

" **Leader, don't be afraid to ask anything of anyone."** Synestra interrupted him with a smile. **"You are our leader, if you want to ask anything of me or another, don't hesitate."**

"Right, well I wanted to ask you about your horns." He said, pointing at her horns, which he noticed were sharpened to a thin point but were thinner than the other Houndooms he had seen. "Can you explain why Ardent had cut his horns so flat and short compared to the rest of you?"

Synestra thought for a moment before answering him. **"I suppose he's placing his position in the pack lower than that of the others. Our horns signify our status in the pack leader, at least concerning a Houndoom Pack. The longer, thicker, and sharper our horns the higher up we are, I can only guess that because he's flattened his so shortly, that he wants to show you he doesn't pose any treat to your position?"** She said. **"Perhaps he just wants to avoid making you think he's like his father?"**

"I see, well thank you very much Synestra." He said, getting up and stretching. "However, I must be going now to visit the Winter Reserve Guardians. Winter is almost upon us and I must make sure we are prepared for it."

" **I understand leader, thank you for your time."** She replied, bowing to him and leaving the meeting hall first while he and Lancelot made their way to the lake chamber.

 **(Are you sure it is wise to trust Ardent, Master?)** Lancelot asked as they neared the chamber. **(He may have protected you, but he could have easily sided with his father to kill you.)**

"Maybe Lance, but if we treat him as an enemy, he will eventually become my enemy." David said tiredly. "I don't need enemies here Lance, I need friends and allies. He protected me against his own father, took a Flamethrower and even risked death to stand in Scar's way. If that doesn't at least deserve some gratitude, then I'll turn him into my worst enemy, something I don't need."

Lancelot thought about it for a moment, before nodding in understanding and bowing in respect. **(If you say so Master.)** He replied.

"Do you ever voice your opinions and stick with them?" He asked the Lucario with a chuckle as they entered the lake chamber. "I mean, moments ago you were urging me to not trust Ardent because he's Scar's son, and because he might still be a threat. Now you're agreeing with me and not even questioning what I say."

 **(No Master, you raise a fair point, one that I didn't consider until now.)** He replied with a smile. **(After I thought about what you said, I had to agree with it. You were right, you do need more allies than enemies. I merely was thinking of your safety… it is my duty after all as your guard.)**

"If you say so Lance." He replied with a laugh.

As they entered the lake chamber he saw Terrance swimming around slowly, relaxing and glancing around the chamber every few seconds. Upon seeing him and Lancelot he changed his swimming route and moved closer to shore. **"David, Lance, good evening."** He said with a smile. **"Is there something I can help you with?"**

"Hello Terrance, and actually there is." He said to the eight foot tall Lapras. "I need to pay a visit and check up on our winter reserves, make sure the pack will survive the winter season."

Terrance nodded in understanding as he turned around so his shell was facing them. **"As you wish David, hop on, I'll take you to the other side of the lake where the entrance is."** He said politely while David and Lancelot climbed on. **"Shall I talk to you of our Winter Reserve guards? Since this is your first visit to the winter reserves."**

"Winter Reserve guards, I thought you were the guard for our winter reserves?" He asked as Terrance started swimming across the lake.

" **Oh no I don't guard our food David, I merely ensure nobody gets through the entrance without my permission, as well as protect the underwater passage from intruders."** Terrance said with a chuckle. **"I guard the entrance yes, but I'm not the guardian for the winter reserves, which is where most of our food is stored when we aren't eating. No the guardians for the winter reserves live inside the winter reserve cave, keeping it cool with their ice powers to preserve our food."** While they swam he looked back at them with a serious look in his eye. **"I've never spoken to them personally, but from what I've heard from Icicle, the Glaceon who delivers the day's food down to the winter reserves, the guards down there prefer their isolation, and almost never want visitors. So best be respectful of them David, leader or not, they might not like you visiting them."**

"Did Scar ever give them trouble?" He asked as Lancelot nodded at what Terrance said.

" **I wouldn't know, while I was here he never visited them."** He said, turning to look back at where they were going. **"Icicle says they are a very… stubborn bunch. They don't like non ice types very much, and they especially resent any fire type that dares to enter there."**

 _[Snowbelle City Remix – the one by GlitchxCity is good for this particular section]_

A few minutes of swimming and they reached the opposite edge of the lake, where a cave marked the entrance to the winter reserves. A couple of broken sleds that were of no use were piled next to the entrance, and he felt a chill emanating from it.

"Well, let's get going Lancelot…" He whispered as he climbed off of Terrance's shell and onto the small island which housed the cave entrance, while Lancelot merely jumped off and landed neatly next to him.

 **(Right beside you master.)** He said calmly.

" **Take care David, I'll be here when you're ready to leave!"** Terrance shouted as they walked into the cave entrance and began to descend into the winter reserves.

As they walked, he noticed the temperature getting colder and colder with each passing second. "Perhaps… I should have worn… something else besides this shirt and pair of jeans…" He said while rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. "Or maybe I should have brought Karen along… to keep me warm. If it gets any colder I'll be in trouble."

 **(Terrance did say that these guards resent fire types.)** Lancelot replied, not showing any signs of being cold. **(Perhaps we should turn back and come back with something warm for you to wear?)**

"No, let's just keep going." He said, shivering slightly as they continued to walk.

Several minutes of walking down the tunnel led them deeper and deeper into the cave, and he noticed that ice formations were starting to appear along with the glowing rocks. Occasionally he saw a lump of ice with mist pouring off of it. However with each minute that passed, came the ever decreasing temperature drop, if it got any colder he was going to be suffering hypothermia.

Something Lancelot made apparent when David began complaining about losing feeling in his fingertips. **(Master, this is as far as we can go!)** The Lucario said, forcing them to stop when he noticed how red his hands were. **(If we go any further you'll freeze to death, I don't care about finding out about how much food we have, if you end up freezing down here…)**

"P…p… point m…m… made!" David stuttered, beginning to turn around when he spotted something exiting into their tunnel from a side entrance.

It floated about a foot above the ground, looked like one of those Furisade Girls he saw once during a fashion show on television, but had two ice crystals poking out of its head. It also had what looked like some kind of skull mask, and had a ribbon around its waist. Its overall height was about four feet tall.

He recognized it now after a few seconds of trying to remember, but he recognized the Pokemon's species as 'Froslass', one of the two possible evolutions for Snowrunt.

" **Oh, what's this, a human way down here?"** The Froslass asked politely as she floated over to them. **"And shivering no doubt… you poor thing… but what in winter's name are you doing down here?"**

"I'm… m… m… h… here… to… check on the p… p… pack's… food supply." He stuttered while trying to warm himself.

" **Oh… you're here to do that?"** She asked curiously, eyeing him up and down with a smile. **"Why would you ever want to do that… this is a Pokemon Pack, why would a human worry about a pack of Pokemon?"** She eyed Lancelot with a frown before looking back at him. **"And how can you talk and hear what I say… I am not speaking through telepathy. Are you sure you're a human and not a Ditto in disguise?"**

David pointed at his earpiece with a shaky hand, which was still operating perfectly despite the cold. "T… this… t… t… translates… what your s… s… saying… and l… lets me hear… and under…stand it!" He stuttered.

" **Oh… well that's new…"** She said with a grin, leaning closer to him. **"So tell me… would you like to stay down here and freeze? I'm sure I can find a nice place for you here…"**

At her last words Lancelot stood before the Froslass, arms held forward and stance ready. **(Touch our leader and I swear the last thing you see will be an Aura Sphere!)** Lancelot shouted.

" **What's going on over there?"** Another female voice yelled from the same side entrance the Froslass came from.

As they watched yet another Froslass entered, this one similar to the other one but was only about four inches shorter, yet had a much longer ribbon and larger crystals compared to the first. She also spoke in a tone that commanded attention. **"You, Crysta, what are you doing?"**

" **There's a human down here!"** Crysta said with a smirk. **"Can we keep him?"**

The second Froslass frowned and floated quickly over to them and smacked the first one across her face. **"You fool, this is our new Pack Leader!"** She yelled angrily. **"Go and fetch me one of those old human coats for him. Our leader is freezing, can't you see that?"**

" **Yes…"** Crysta grumbled under her breath as she left, rubbing her cheek with her 'hand'. **"I just wanted to keep him for myself…"**

" **I heard that!"** She growled.

Moments later Crysta returned with a very heavy jacket, thick with what looked like synthetic fur and at least twice his size. **"Thank you, now go and do something useful like watching the lower catacombs for intruders!"** She said again, and shooed Crysta away, only when she was gone and David had stopped shivering did she sigh and look apologetically at him. **"Forgive us Leader, we were not expecting any visitors today, or at least not right now. How can I help you?"**

"It's alright… I'm just here to check on our food reserves for the winter." He said. "May I ask where did this coat come from? It seems odd that you would keep something like this here."

" **Oh… our foragers find weird things from time to time, discarded by humans or so."** The Froslass said politely. **"Like the sleds we use to transport berries to and from the reserve chambers. We also had 'some' leaders in the past down here, and some of them couldn't take the cold very well. So we kept some of the human's coats that our foragers found ages ago, for just such an occasion."**

"Well thank you, any longer, and I'd have been forced to leave before coming back." He said with a chuckle. "What's your name?"

" **My name, well I'm called Lunara here among the other Winter Guards."** Lunara replied, before looking at Lancelot with a curious expression. **"And who is this you have with you?"**

"He's Lancelot, and he's one of my guards." David replied while Lancelot nodded.

" **I see, a fine guard you have."** She said with a grin. **"Especially declaring that he would use an attack on one of our guards that has no effect on, quite brave of you."** At that Lancelot looked away and tried to ignore the giggles coming from the Froslass. **"Well, in any case, follow me leader."**

David nodded and began following Lunara as she floated down a side corridor. As they walked deeper and further down, he noticed sever blotches of ice that seemed to have melted into the walls and ceiling. He even saw several ice encased stalagmites and stalactites with each passing minute, and small piles of snow lying around. But the one thing he noticed, was the lack of Pokemon present in the corridors. Apart from himself, Lancelot, and now Lunara, nearly every passing entrance and down each corridor was empty and devoid anyone present.

"Where is everyone?" He asked Lunara after a few minutes of walking. "And how come we have to walk so far?"

" **There is no straight line to the winter reserves leader."** Lunara replied as they entered a chamber which had six various entrances, both above and on their level. **"You see, we've excavated these tunnels so that anyone who ends up down here will wander aimlessly until one of us guardians encounter them. There is a direct route for us, since we aren't restricted to walking, but for you we have to take a longer route."**

"I see…" He said as she led him and Lancelot through another tunnel, one he had to crouch down to get through.

" **Also, to explain where 'everyone' is, well there aren't a lot of 'us' down here."** Lunara said. **"At most there's maybe… I think ten of us? And we tend to wander and avoid each other much of the time."**

"Why is that, is it because your all isolationists, like Terrance told me?"

" **Mostly yes, we don't like company."** She said. **"Or at least most of us don't, as you saw Crysta didn't mind you very much, in fact she loves it when visitors come down here. Though she's one of those Froslass that likes to capture something she likes in ice to display for the others to see."**

"Even if it's her pack leader?" He asked.

" **Yes…"** She replied as they paused for a second, while she turned around and stared at something behind them. **"Oh no…"**

"What?" He said, but moments later knew what she was talking about as he also looked behind them to see yet another Pokemon behind them.

It was about four foot tall, and unlike Lunara and Crysta, this Pokemon was the other species that evolved from Snowrunt, Glalie. **"Who are these intruders Lunara?"** the Glalie said, and by the tone of its voice David guessed it was male.

" **The new Pack Leader, and his guard Lancelot."** Lunara said coldly.

" **New Pack Leader?"** The Glalie growled, floating closer to get a better look. **"Well what are they doing down here, we don't want visitors."**

"I'm here to check on our winter reserves!" David said, putting as much authority in his voice and staring determinedly at the Glalie. "I need to ensure that our pack will make it through the winter."

" **So what, if we were in danger, we would have informed the Glaceon to tell you, you don't need to come down here to check on us like we're your pets."** The Glalie growled back, glaring angrily at him. **"And you Lunara…"** He whispered, glaring at Lunara next. **"Why are you escorting them wherever they want to go, just take the human to the winter reserves and be done with it?"**

" **I would, if he could fly!"** She said coldly back. **"Glitter, he's only a human, he's not like us!"**

" **That's obvious."** The Glalie said, apparently called 'Glitter' according to Lunara.

"Glitter, don't even dare talk baldy to Lunara for helping guide me and Lancelot." He declared. "And treat her with a little more respect, especially in front of me!"

" **If I want to speak to my mate then I will very well speak to her, however I wish to as well!"** Glitter replied angrily. **"You may be in charge of this pack, but that doesn't mean we care about what you say or think down here!"**

" **If I want to escort our Pack Leader to the winter reserve chamber the long way, then I very well will!"** Lunara snapped back, glaring at the Glalie even as he glared at her. **"Listen here Glitter, treat our leader with respect or he may very well banish all of us, I will not have you risking all of us winter guard's safety in this pack by being disrespectful. Now go and guard the south east corridor, Crysta left her post to guard the lower catacombs. And don't you dare leave your post until me or another take over for you, or else you'll hear from Icicle and me! Are we clear?"**

Glitter glared angrily at her, before nodding in understanding and floating away from where he came. As soon as he left, Lunara breathed a sigh of relief before beckoning David and Lancelot to continue with her.

"Is he always like that?" He asked her.

" **Yes, unfortunately."** She whispered. **"Forgive him leader, most of us down here don't like visitors. He prefers to be alone, well except when he's with me."**

"You chose 'him' as your mate?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

" **When your options are limited, you take what you can have…"** She replied as they walked down another side corridor. **"I never leave this cave, and nor do the others of my kind down here. We prefer to stay here where it's nice and cold. Besides he's only my mate out of necessity…"**

"Meaning you don't 'love' him?" He asked curiously.

" **I'm afraid… when you are a ghost and an ice type leader."** She said, looking at him with a sad expression. **"Love is a luxury that I cannot have when guarding an entire pack's food reserve. He may not seem the best choice in a mate…"** She whispered before looking forward again. **"But since there are only nine of us down here, my choices are limited. Especially when five of us are female. Besides, most of us only choose a mate simply so we have someone to talk to all the time, but most often we prefer to be alone."**

For ten minutes they walked, following Lunara as she led them down corridors, passageways, and every other path. Then as David began to get extremely bored, they exited out into a large open cavern that was roughly fifty feet high and sixty feet wide. All around there were tunnels and passageways in both the walls and ceiling. Along the walls were layers of ice, frozen stalagmites hanging from the ceiling, and large piles of snow. In the center of the cavern was a huge pit, and in this pit was a large mass of berries.

" **These are our winter reserves leader."** Lunara said as she floated over to the pile, picking up a few berries and bringing them over for him to inspect. **"We keep everything here cold, not nearly as cold as the rest of the passageways to get here. But we keep them cold enough so that they remain as fresh and edible for as long as possible."**

While they spoke they heard a rattling sound, and David and Lancelot watched as a Frosslass, not Crysta, floated in dragging a rather large sled behind her.

" **As you see leader, each day we ration how much food is distributed to the pack."** Lunara explained while this third Froslass began piling berries onto the sled. **"We do this based on the number of members we possess in the pack, and we ensure that we don't dig too deeply into the reserves. We pile up 'this' sled with berries that will be given to those pack members not out foraging for berries, as they tend to eat while also foraging, this also includes the ones guarding them."** As they watched the third Froslass, noticing them and consequently ignoring them, finished piling the berries onto the sled and began dragging it out of the chamber the way she came in. **"Afterwards we take it to a 'drop off' passage, where the day's foraging is collected and where Icicle leaves the sleds laden with berries for us to add to the pile. She also takes this one for the pack to eat from, at least those not out foraging. We do this trade twice a day, once at the end of the day to collect berries to store, and once to give the pack's daily ration of food."**

"Efficient." He said with a raised eyebrow.

 **(Yes, even more so than Pack Delica.)** Lancelot replied. **(They normally just pile all of the berries together in their eating area, and the pack as a whole eats from there every day.)**

" **Why thank you, we do our best down here."** She said with a smile. **"Now, are there any questions you would like to ask of me leader?"**

"Yes, how much food do you add to the pile compared to what you send out for the pack to eat?" He asked, noticing how 'small' the pile of berries was compared to how large the pit itself was.

Lunara frowned as she floated to the pile and looked over it momentarily, before floating back to them. **"I think for every three small sleds of berries Icicle brings to us, we put that large sled of berries out."** She answered. **"So roughly we put just a little more back into the reserves than we take out. It's not noticeable, but that's how we've been doing it."**

"That was of course, before Scar lost leadership correct?" He asked, to which she nodded. "Then now what does it mean?"

" **Well, I've noticed a steady decline in how many berries we're storing compared to what we're consuming."** Lunara said. **"Now, we're barely keeping the pile level. With all these new additions to the pack, we're no longer adding more to the pile with our normal foraging teams. If we take anymore members without increasing the amount of berries our foragers collect, we won't be able to support our whole pack through the winters to come."**

"What about this winter, can our pack make it through with what we have stored right now?" He asked Lunara.

Lunara shook her head. **"I'm afraid not, not if we consume the way we always have."** She said. **"If we ration properly, and all of our pack members refuse to eat more than absolutely necessary, maybe. But since some of the females often get pregnant and need more food during winter, there is no way we can expect or demand that they eat less than necessary. The same goes for the little ones, they need food the most compared to the adults, as do the elders."** When she finished her explanation she glanced up to see a Glalie float in from one of the side chambers, and begin to use an Ice Beam on the walls, freezing up sections of the wall or adding a new layer of ice to the ice already on the wall. **"If I may make a suggestion leader, you must tell our foragers to increase their efforts, or increase the number of foragers that go out. If you don't, I fear we will not be able to support the pack through the winter with what we have. I will continue to monitor our food levels and will have Icicle report on your efforts, but as everything stands now, we cannot maintain our reserves through the whole winter."**

"Very well then, I'll have Lucy increase the numbers of foragers and see what we can do about increasing the amount of berries we can harvest and forage." He said. "Is there anything else?"

" **Yes, I know Glitter and the others would argue otherwise, but we need more help down here."** She replied, nervously glancing around and especially watching the Glalie as he left. **"We're proud and prideful in our task to protect the food here. But with only nine of us, we could use an additional guard, especially to watch the food while the rest of us keep an eye on the various catacombs and tunnels. Because there are so few of us, occasionally an intruder can make it through and reach the food chamber, and often we won't notice it until after it's happened. Would you be willing to give us an additional helper or two if you could spare them?"**

"I'm not sure how many Pokemon in the pack could handle the cold for that long." He said, looking around at all of the ice. "Most of the pack are dark types and fire types. The only ice type I've met is Icicle, and she's already busy guarding. Although…" He looked at Lancelot, and noticed how the Lucario had not shivered once while they were down there. "Lancelot, would you be willing to volunteer to protect our food reserves down here for a few hours a day?"

Lancelot nodded and bowed politely to him. **(If that is your order, then I shall begin guarding the winter reserve starting tonight.)** He replied. **(Karen, Yara and Nera should be more than enough protection for you while I am busy down here.)**

"Very well then, Lancelot will assist you Lunara in protecting the food from intruders." He said.

Lunara looked relieved at that and smiled back at him. **"Thank you leader, though I promise you that Lancelot will only be down here for a few hours a day."** She said politely. **"You see, we don't need much in the way of sleep, so we are almost always awake. However I know your Lucario companion will need to return for sleep as well as to protect you, as is his duty. A few hours a day is all I will ask of him, and that will put my mind at ease."**

"Alright well, he'll be here starting tomorrow, alright Lance?" He asked the Lucario.

 **(Of course.)** He replied with a smile.

"Well then, since everything is decided, shall we get going back?" He asked. "Lunara, can you please guide us back, I kind of don't remember how to get back…"

" **Naturally."** She replied with a grin, beckoning them to follow her. **"If you did I'd be very surprised, considering we designed these caverns and catacombs so that if anyone were to get down here, they'd be lost."**

=To Honor Nera=

(Yara's PoV)

Yara snorted as he began to wake up, ready to begin the day as Pack Leader David's advisor. As he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was his sister, Nera, sleeping soundly next to him, looking peaceful and content as she smiled slightly in her sleep. Seeing her sleeping peacefully brought a smile to Yara as well.

If anyone deserved to sleep peacefully at night these days, it was her, he thought to himself.

" **Well… might as well wash myself before she wakes up!"** He whispered quietly, getting up from their bed and stretching.

He walked over to the cleaning pool in their room, and began bathing himself in the water, enjoying how cool it was to his fur. As he washed himself he felt the numerous scratches and cuts that had healed over the years on his skin, hidden by his blue fur.

Over the seasons serving Scar as his 'advisor' and 'bodyguard', Yara had earned quite a few scratches from his former leader. While most of his cuts didn't hurt him anymore, their scars still served to remind him of what he had to endure alongside his sister.

" **Those days are over now, with Leader David in charge."** He said, shaking the thoughts away.

As he cleaned himself and began to dry himself off, shaking viciously to get as much of the water out of his fur as he could, he noticed a particular smell the longer he sniffed. _***Huh…***_ He thought, trying to find the source of that eerily sweet scent. _***Is it that time again?***_

As he sniffed fiercely, he began to trace the source of the smell, and after a few seconds of following his nose, he found it.

It was coming from his sister, more precisely, from between her legs.

Nera was in heat.

" **Oh sister… another heat cycle without a 'proper' male."** He whispered to himself as he continued to watch his sister sleeping peacefully.

Yet another scar on their life, not just physical but emotional and mental, was how his sister had to endure each heat cycle of her life. Every time it came around, starting while Scar was in charge, she was faced with one of two options.

Find a male who would find no appeal in her, as nothing else but a Meowstic interested only interested in sex.

Or ask Scar to 'relieve' her.

Since most of the males in the pack were interested in mating to reproduce with their mates, they would have found her very unappealing. Scar however, would have enjoyed 'relieving' her whenever her heat came around, something she would not. She despised Scar their whole life while serving him, going to him to relieve her heat was more of a torture than anything else.

So they chose a third option, one that hurt them both, but it was the only one they both accepted.

Now however, with her heat beginning, Yara had another idea to help her. One that would help her regain some of the honor that she had lost because of Scar, and perhaps restore her belief in herself as a female.

As Nera began to stir, he walked over to their chamber's entrance to leave.

He only hoped the Pack Leader would be awake and willing to listen to his request.

(David's PoV)

" **Hey Master, Master David wake up!"** A voice called from outside, causing David to wake up groggily.

As he blinked rapidly to clear his vision, he found himself looking at Lucy as she too began to wake up beside him. Across the room and in her small bed was Sophia, who yawned loudly upon being awoken by the voice. "What is it?" He called out groggily.

" **It's Yara, he wants to speak to you."** Karen yelled from outside. **"Says it's important."**

He nodded and after making sure he was decent, or at least clothed, he brushed his hair and made himself presentable, before straightening his clothes so he was looking his best. "Alright, let him in."

A few seconds after he spoke, Karen casually walked in with Yara beside her, who looked normal compared to the last time he was in this chamber.

"Hello Yara, how can I help you?" David asked as Lucy sat beside him while Sophia busied herself by straightening their bed blanket.

" **Greetings leader, I have a request to make of you."** Yara said while Karen began to leave.

"Alright, what is it?" He asked.

" **Leader, would you be willing to mate with my sister?"** He asked politely.

Right after Yara made his request, there were three simultaneous "What's!?", From David, Sophia, Lucy, and Karen from outside, who had come running back in after hearing him.

" **Is something wrong?"** Yara asked with a confused look.

"Uh… Yara… why do you want me to mate with your sister?" David asked.

" **You see leader, she's going into her heat, as most females do around this time in the season."** He replied politely. **"My sister will need help to relieve her of her heat, so I wondered if perhaps you would honor her by taking her as your 'mate for the night'."**

"Uh… Yara… shouldn't she have someone that likes her?" He replied with a blush. "Not that I'm saying I don't, but after everything she's endured from Scar, shouldn't she try and find someone else who would treat her well."

At that Yara lost the look of politeness and instead replaced it with one of worry and sadness. **"She would… but because she still is infertile and cannot breed…"** He said. **"None of the other males in the pack would find her appealing… we are not like humans leader."** He said, looking back at him with his green eyes, his tails curling slightly. **"When males mate… we do it to procreate and mate with only our mates for life. Only the leader is allowed the privilege to mate with any female he wishes in our pack. That is how it's always been, if a female or a male mates with someone other than the leader or their life mate, it is considered a high crime."**

" **Therefore… if my sister were to try and find a male among the pack to mate with… she would lose much of her appeal, as she would be seen as… in your human words… a whore."** He said, looking down in disgrace. **"So that is why I am here asking you to mate with her leader… if she were to mate with you, she would gain back some of her lost honor. As well as rekindle her belief in herself as a female. Also…"** He said, looking back at David with a look of hope in his eyes. **"I was hoping that you would mate with her so that she could… forget the last memories of her days under Scar's rule."**

At the last part, something sparked in David's mind that, like his previous conversation with the twins, there was more to this story than he was willing to reveal. "Karen, Lucy, Sophia… can you please leave me and Yara alone for a while?" He asked his two Prime Mates and guard.

" **If you want master."** Karen said, fiddling with the stick in her tail as she walked out.

" **Alright… I should really speak to our foragers and guards."** Lucy said, getting up and stretching. **"I need to get our foragers to pick up their pace in getting berries, I'll be back in a while David."**

" **Well, since Lucy is off, I might as well go and talk to Jen again, I kind of want to ask her something important."** Sophia said, getting up and walking with Lucy as well. **"I'll be back in a bit darling, stay safe my 'premier compagnon'."**

Once all three girls had left him and Yara alone, David looked directly into Yara's eyes and asked his question. "Alright Yara, what's wrong?" He asked the male Meowstic. "What did Scar do to your sister that you would ask her to mate with me, to help her forget?"

At that Yara looked like he was regretting his actions about asking David to mate with his sister, but he nodded and stared back while giving his answer. **"It is… complicated to explain leader"** He replied. **"It's not what he 'did' to her… it's what he unwillingly 'forced' us to do."**

"Alright… tell me."

Yara sighed and after making sure they were indeed alone, spoke up again. **"You see leader, my sister has gone through seventeen heats, one each season, with this being her eighteenth."** He said. **"While under Scar's rule she was raped, and forced to mate with him, he never had the chance to mate with her while she was in heat."**

"Based on what I know of that Houndoom, he wouldn't have simply left your sister alone during those 'special' times of her year." David said, to which Yara nodded. "So how did you avoid getting her to mate with him, and why would mating him during her heat make a difference? She's infertile, what difference does mating during her heat and not during it do?"

" **It is different leader, because during their heats, a female Pokemon becomes slightly infatuated with whomever they mate with!"** Yara said sternly. **"Humans are different than us Pokemon. When we Pokemon go into heat, and mate during it, not only does it increase the chances of breeding, it also causes us to become emotionally attached to whoever we mate with. The more often this occurs over a long period of time, the more attached we become to that individual… that's why we only ever mate with someone we care about like a life mate, or with our leader. We mate with the leader because our leader is supposed to care about the pack and its members, so we trust him."**

"Okay… so how did she hide her heat from him?" He asked.

" **We didn't… we dealt with her heat the… only way we could leader."** Yara said, looking shameful as his tails curled up again. **"No male would take her if we revealed her secret, and she didn't want Scar to mate with her while she was in heat. So… we came up with the only solution we could that… we both accepted."** He said, fidgeting with his front paws as though he didn't want to explain. **"Her heat lasts several days, during which she either mates once for it to go away, or she must 'relieve' herself daily while her scent continues to linger. So whenever her heat occurred we made sure it never lasted more than a few hours, while Scar slept."**

"And that would be?" He asked, though by the way it sounded, he could guess what that 'solution' was.

Yara glanced nervously at him before sighing and finally answering David's direct questions. **"I mated with her, every time she went into heat."** He said. **"Leader, among your kinds it is a taboo from what I have heard from 'tamed' Pokemon, to mate with one's own blood. I believe the term is defined as… 'Incest', among you humans. Among us Pokemon it is also a taboo… but believe me when I say… we did it only to spare her from mating with Scar. Because I claimed her every season when she went into heat, I'm honor bound to protect her and care for her… it's a duty I've lived with each day. That's also why even now I refuse to leave her, because of what I've done I can never part from her in life."**

He looked back into David's eyes, but now with tears breaking through his eyes and with a determined look on his face. **"I love my sister leader, what I did with her is horrible yes, but we would've rather mated with each other, than allow Scar to torture her mind and feelings even more than he did her body! But I'm asking you to take my request into consideration leader, I'd be honored if you would honor my sister with mating her! I don't want to mate with her again… not if there's another way. If you mate with her than I can accept it, at least with you she won't feel the pain or fear she felt while being raped by Scar!"**

David saw that there was truth in what the male Meowstic was saying. His eyes spoke the whole truth without even needing his words to say it, he did indeed love his sister. He also saw the pain in his eyes as well as in the tone of his voice, he did feel hurtful for mating with his twin sister.

If David refused, then he would no doubt mate with his sister again, just to help her through another season. While he was sure she wouldn't despise him or be unhappy with the decision, it would only bring about yet another painful memory.

"Give me a while to think about this Yara." He said. "I need to really think about this, it's not that I don't want to do this. I'm hesitant because if I do this, I'll be doing it because she's in heat and I'll be taking advantage of her because she's in heat. So let me just have some time to think about this, in the meantime, go talk to your sister, and see if she wants to do this. I won't mate with her if she doesn't want to mate with me."

Yara nodded and left.

Twenty minutes later David was in deep discussion with his two Prime Mates, Lucy and Sophia, after he explained the situation with them.

" **Normally love, I'd be all for you mating a female in our pack."** Lucy said, pacing from side to side. **"Because obviously it means we get to mate as well, but in this case… well… I don't know if you should."**

"Nera would have to mate with her brother if I refuse." He told them, scratching Sophia's fur as she curled up in his lap. "Should I just mate with her simply to spare them that act?"

" **Yara said so himself, he loves his sister, and I doubt Nera hates her brother."** Sophia replied. **"She's mated with her own twin brother for almost nine years. Yes she was forced to mate with her brother during her heats, but then again every female would rather mate with their loved one during that special time of their year. Besides it was either him or Scar, and I'd rather drown myself than let that 'connard' come within three miles of me while I'm in heat. She has to love her brother to some degree, so would it be painful to simply let them mate again?"** She looked up at him with an uncertain expression. **"I mean… think about it, at least this time they aren't being forced to… it can be consensual… true its incest but love is love… you also did say that we should not be afraid to admit who we love darling."**

" **But that's the thing Poodle Girl, as much as they love each other, it IS painful for them. They don't WANT to mate each other!"** Lucy yelled. **"I say mate with her David, this is one of those times where you have to mate with a member of your pack. Yara asked you to do it, so why force him to do what he doesn't want to do?"**

" **Never thought I'd see the day where a male wouldn't want to have fun."** Sophia barked quietly to herself.

" **Not all of us are perverted like you, some of us like to mate for true love, not forced love!"** Lucy said with a roll of her eyes.

" **Me perverted?"** Sophia barked. **"Says the 'pokemon en cas de catastrophe' that likes to fuck our mate au milieu de la nuit!"**

"While I agree you both have some valid points, the thing we need to ask is… should I mate with Nera or not." He said, interrupting the two before they could continue their argument. "Should I mate with a female, that has been raped her whole life, and the only comfort she felt while performing the act, was when she mated with her own brother. They did love each other, but they didn't want to do this act with each other. Now because he's mated her and claimed her as his own, he's got to protect and care for her the rest of his life. I don't think either of them despise that outcome, but the fact that they had to mate with each other, by force, just to protect one of them, I think I have to." He looked at both of them with a worried look. "Or at least until Nera and Yara are prepared to verbally admit to the pack, that they are indeed mated to one another."

Lucy and Sophia looked at each other before nodding in agreement. **"I guess that's true."** Lucy said.

" **Better to feel pleasure with the leader then feel pain with your brother, at least from Nera's point of view."** Sophia said. **"I'm sure that Yara is happier knowing 'you' will mate with his sister, than he would be if 'he' mated with her."**

"I guess so, all I can do is do my best to make her feel 'good'." He said to them as Lucy walked over and started nuzzling him.

" **Just remember love, make this the best night of her life, nothing like a good round of love making to wipe away all the sadness one feels."** She said with a smile.

He nodded as Lucy and Sophia got up and prepared to leave so that he could have privacy with Nera. "Karen!" He yelled, calling in his Braixen guard who was still standing watch outside in the corridor. "Can you bring Yara and Nera here?"

" **Got it chief!"** Karen said with a nod, before leaving with Sophia and Lucy.

Minutes later Karen returned with the two Meowstic twins, one of whom was blushing heavily as she followed behind her brother. "Thank you Karen, you can leave us now." He said, to which Karen nodded and left now.

" **Yes leader?"** Nera asked him.

"Nera, I assume you know by now what your brother has brought to my attention?"

" **Yes leader… and I would be honored if you would make me your mate for tonight."** She said, blushing even more when she looked into his eyes. **"I know this act hurts my brother more than it does me… and I don't want to hurt him anymore."**

"Are you positive you want this Nera, I know how much Scar hurt you before, and I don't want to…" He started saying before Nera shook her head.

" **It's alright leader… I want this… and this time I'll be honored to have mated with you."** She said.

"Very well then Nera, I'll mate with you tonight." He said.

" **Thank you leader, it means a lot more to me than you realize."** Yara said with a sigh of relief. **"I'll leave you two alone, take care of my sister please."** He said, giving his sister a gentle lick on her cheek before turning and leaving them alone in his chamber.

(Multi PoV)

Nera walked over to him on all four legs, and now that she was close enough, David could smell the scent of her heat coming from her. "So Nera, is there any particular way you want to start?" He asked the female Meowstic, wanting to know how she wanted to be treated.

" **Uh… no…"** She said hesitantly. **"Normally… we just mate… I mean… when I did this with my brother. Why how do you mate?"**

"Well, when it's between me and my two Prime Mates, we normally start out by getting each other in the mood." He said, picking her up so that he was holding her in his lap. "First we start with a little kissing, and then… well… you'll see." He whispered to her, before bringing their lips together into a kiss.

As Nera began kissing her leader, she began to feel an emotion that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Not since her first time with her brother.

She began feeling, pleasure.

After all of the pain from Scar raping her, this small sensation that began to grow, reaching all the way to her sex was instantly a thousand times better.

" **Mhmmm…"** She moaned as her ears lifted so she could use her psychic powers.

She used her powers to start unzipping her leader's pants, pulling them down slightly and revealing his flaccid member which was starting to get harder the longer he kissed her. Wanting to feel even more pleasure, she pushed her small tongue into his mouth to explore inside of it, and instantly was welcomed by his larger tongue.

As they wrapped their tongues around each other, David took one hand and began rubbing her back, while his other snaked between her legs and rubbed at her pussy. He felt how wet she was becoming, and the longer he rubbed the wetter she became as well as the stronger the scent of her heat.

She was vastly different from Lucy, Sophia, or any of the other females David had mated with while he was their leader. He guessed it was just because of their body shape, being quadruped based, but Nera was bipedal with a tail, but no there was something else.

Nera had stood up to Scar when they first encountered each other face to face, if it weren't for her and Yara deciding to side with him instead of obeying Scar, David would be dead right now.

So with that in mind, he decided to properly 'thank' his rescuer the only way he could in his position, by doing exactly what Lucy said, and giving Nera the best 'love making' session she ever had.

He decided to start by sticking one of his fingers into her now dripping pussy, making sure to remind himself that she was only two feet tall, and unlike his two Prime Mates, could only stand so high compared to him. In fact he noticed the only way she could even kiss him was by standing on his legs while he sat with her, and even then he had to bend his head a little.

" **Ah~!"** Nera moaned as she felt his finger enter her entrance. **"Leader… that feels so good~!"** She said, looking up at him and quivering at his touch. **"Please~ … give me more~!"**

"Alright Nera, whatever you want." He whispered, before slipping another finger in and beginning to finger her sex.

" **Oooh~."** Nera moaned loudly as she felt pleasured like never before. **"Is this… what your Prime Mates feel… whenever you mate with them?"**

"Yes, every time because they love me, and I love them." He said to her as she looked into his eyes.

" **They're so… lucky~!"** She said, shivering as he began to pick up the pace of his fingering. **"Leader… I think I'm ready… to properly mate with you~!"**

"Are you sure?" He asked, feeling his member was ready and already trying to poke at her entrance.

" **Yes… please…"** She begged.

He nodded and positioned her over his member, but suddenly realized that because of her height, he thought she could not possibly fit all of him in her. Still that didn't seem to stop her as she began to push him into her, moaning loudly as her pussy's walls began to envelop his dick.

Nera was in paradise as she felt inch after inch of her leader's member fill her passage. This was so different compared to Scar's rape sessions. When he had raped her, there was no pleasure and there was definitely no reaction from her body like it was reacting now. But with leader David, her body just wanted more, more pleasure, more of whatever it was his Prime Mates felt with each time they mated with him.

 _ ***I wonder… if his two Prime Mates… feel like this all the time with him?***_ She thought to herself when she hilted as much of her leader's dick as her body could take, all seven inches of it.

"Are you ready Nera?" David asked when she miraculously took all his dick inside of her.

" **Yes…"** She whispered, looking up at him with a shivering smile. **"Please… begin leader~!"**

He nodded and took Nera in both hands, and gently began to move her up and down his dick, electing loud moans of pleasure with each time he hilted her. As she mated with him, she felt a sudden pressure growing within her body, and she knew from the times she mated with her brother what was coming.

She was just amazed that she was going through her heat feeling this much pleasure. How could she have gone through life without feeling like this, and yet with each passing moment when she moaned, did this strange thought keep coming back to her. Why was it that even though it was her leader giving her this pleasure, that she felt a strange longing in her heart for someone else to give her that same pleasure?

Why did she wish that it 'wasn't' her leader mating with her?

" **Oh…~!"** She groaned as he began to mate her faster. **"More… more Leader~… give me more~!"**

He began to move faster, but not so fast that she couldn't take it. However he felt a growing pressure building up in his dick, and he knew that he was close. "Nera, I'm about to come…" He said to the female Meowstic. "Is it alright… if I come inside you?"

" **Yes!"** Nera screamed, burying her face in his chest as she pushed herself up and down as hard as she could with the help of his arms. **"Come inside… please~!"**

With that declaration he moved as fast as he could, and hilted himself in her one final time before he felt himself release inside of her tight passage, filling her womb up. She screamed in pleasure as well as he came, releasing her own juices all over his member as she felt her orgasm hit hard. As it ended, her tails became limp and simply laid themselves over his legs and on the bed.

As they panted and began to come down from their sexual highs, she began to cry, hiccupping every time she breathed properly. "Why are you crying?" He asked her, wondering what he did wrong.

" **I'm… infertile…"** She moaned, looking up at him with tears falling down and matting her white fur. **"You came inside me… your seed that should impregnate me… won't produce an egg. I should be honored… to take your seed but… I'm infertile… so your seed is wasted on me."** She sniffed and buried her face in his chest once more. **"You shouldn't have given it to me… it should be your Prime Mate who should receive your seed… I'm unworthy as a female. I'm so honored to have mated you and made you feel pleasure, but I can never have a litter of kits for myself…"**

He sighed as he rubbed his advisor's head and scratched behind her ears, wishing he could get rid of that tormenting thought from her mind.

He had hoped he could make her happy with this act, but it seems that as long as she continued to remain 'infertile', nothing he could do would remove that from her mind. Like Lucy and Sophia, she wanted to become a mother, even having one egg would make her the happiest in her life.

But unlike Sophia and Lucy who only had the barrier of mating with one who was a different species and body type from them blocking them, Nera had the impossibility of breedign due to her infertility.

Nothing would change that, and nothing he could do could fix that.

(Isis' PoV)

" **What is it Isis?"** Yin the Umbreon Elder asked tiredly from her left. **"Why have you summoned us together for a council, and why have we not requested Leader David's presence?"**

" **Indeed, is something wrong?"** Kuma the Mightyena Elder asked from her right.

Isis looked blindly at her left and right, at each of her fellow Elders, both seeing and not seeing them with her lost sight. **"My fellow elders… the winter season approaches… and I bring great and terrible news…"** She said calmly. **"My future sight has foreseen a great event unfold before my sightless eyes."**

" **What have you seen?"** Nayru the Ninetales Elder asked.

" **It is difficult to make out, what I tell you I can only tell because it was clearest of all the vision I saw."** She said to them. **"In many days… our pack will be graced by one who is gifted with the rainbow aura, the very same that encompasses and wraps around our leader and his five companions. Their seven auras were so blinding, yet so comforting, that though I could not see the source, they did not cause me any fear. Combined they gave me more peace and care than I had ever felt in my life. Only in my mother's womb did I ever feel such protection and love."**

She took a deep breath before deciphering her prophecy. **"In the lake chamber of this very den, those bound by a single pact will once again be united with the one who forged it. A great wave of emotion will arise, greater than any tsunami, tidal wave, or any other disaster that could befall this world. Anger and fear, sorrow and regret, all will come to pass and will destroy the very beings that we have come to respect and admire."** She let that sink into her fellow elder's minds. **"Yet despite this terrible fear that I witnessed, I saw that the auras of those gathered continued to shine. Well before life leaves our bodies my fellow elders, we will all witness blame and forgiveness occur over a very short time. Yet just as the clarity of my vision began to fade, I saw a dark shadow behind the beautiful auras of those I speak of. It was a Pokemon capable of destroying all that we have here, and behind it, I heard the cries and mewls of screaming females and young as it breathed fire from its mouth… before my vision faded and all became obscured."**

" **What does this mean?"** Jen the Furfrou Elder asked. **"Should we warn our Leader of this vision?"**

Isis shook her head. **"No… in my vision, I felt that he must not know of the first part until after it has come to pass."** She said. **"Keep my prophecy to yourself, until I determine it is time to reveal its entirety to him. Besides… the second part has me worried… because while it is both obscured and blurry, the clarity just before it became obscured, worries and frightens me."**

She could not see her fellow elders nodding in understanding, but she didn't need to, she could sense them. What worried her most, was how similar that Pokemon in her vision looked, compared to former Leader Scar.

If he came to power yet again, no doubt those cries she heard in the background, would come from their pack's females and young.


	19. Chapter 16

_*The past makes us who we are…*_

 _*The past defines who we become in our future…*_

 _*Your past speaks more than their loss…*_

=Chapter 16, Memories of the Past, Pt 1=

= Echoes of the Rival=

 _[Sad Piano Song with Rain – please listen to this while reading this, to get the true feeling of this section.]_

(Serena's PoV)

"Stupid papers…" Serena whispered to herself as she walked the streets of Lumiose City at night, in the middle of the worst thunderstorms the central city of Kalos has had before winter. "Undefeated… unbeatable… the reigning champion of the Kalos Pokemon League Elite Four for almost nineteen years." The twenty nine year old Champion glanced down at the numerous papers she held in her hands, ignoring how wet her fancy clothes and expensive attire was getting. "And this… is how I'm treated?"

 _ ***Champion Serena, is she losing her touch?***_ One paper read, talking about how she was no longer 'devastating' her opponents.

 _ ***Our Champion, losing her will to fight?***_ A second read, going into discussion about how she was losing her desire to battle, what with her recently taking a two month long vacation.

 _ ***The Champ Serena, seeking more than just a battle?***_ A third paper read, this one poking fun at how she was still 'single', and saying she's seeking a lover by remaining the champion.

"And this one… takes the cake." She growled, shifting the tabloid paper so it was in front.

The last one, a simple tabloid journal that people only read because it was free, had an old picture of Serena when she was younger, and had been taken on Route 7 when she and her friends were starting their journeys. It was a painted image of her and David, with her Frogadier and his Fennekin (Karen), taking on Trevor and Tierno. _***Lost Love, a 'Flare' of Tragedy in Kalos.***_

The painting was a spectacularly done portrait, which surprised her that the artist who had observed them while painting the landscape, had managed to capture the image so perfectly. With paint no less, and barely observing the battle for a few minutes because of how short it was.

Yet for how beautiful the picture was, the tabloid spoke of how she was secretly mourning the loss of her 'childhood lover', David 'Calem'. It said that when he was lost during the effort to save Kalos from Team Flare, she lost all will to continue loving another trainer, for he was the only one, according to the tabloid, she felt was 'worthy' to be her lover.

"Bastards… they don't understand…" She mumbled, dropping all of the papers into the street to let the water wash them away to whatever sewage dump or wherever trash went in Lumiose. "I'm not mourning for love… I'm not battling to find love… I'm not losing my touch… I'm just…"

She hiccupped as she walked down a side street, glad that there wasn't a single soul out tonight during this storm. Not even the taxi cabs were running tonight, another thing she was grateful for. As she walked she thought back to her last battle with David, battling alongside him and his team as they fought fiercely to save Kalos and Xerneas. She remembered how determined his team was in the final fight with Lysandre, how strong their bond had become that they stood up to everything he could throw at them.

And emerged triumphant.

"Lysandre… curse you Lysandre… curse your stupid Team Flare… and curse you for wanting to make the world 'beautiful' to try and 'save' it!" She whispered under her breath, as she wandered aimlessly down the alleyway, not caring for where she was going.

While she walked she stumbled past the old Lysandre Café, closed down and in disrepair after the fall of its leader and supporters, its many customers long gone and former glory all but forgotten. She remembered following behind David to go down into the Lysandre Labs to help him discover where the Ultimate Weapon was. She sniffed again as she entered Magenta Plaza and walked pathetically down another alleyway, not caring for where she was going or where her feet were leading her.

"They don't… understand!" She cried, unable to tell where her tears were falling because of the rain. "I just… want… one more battle with him!"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small locket, containing the only picture she ever had of her friends from the old days, all together, smiling in front of the Tower of Mastery. In her hand, a bottle of Orange Pop, a celebration drink to commemorate David obtaining the Mega Ring, as well as a new friend and member to his team, Lancelot the Lucario. Between Shauna and David was her, and on either side was Tierno and Trevor, all of them making 'V' signs with their fingers.

She sniffed and cried again as she saw the picture, an image of the past that she wanted back.

For all of her fame, for all of her power, for her undefeated record and unbeatable status, it just wasn't the same without one particular friend to share in that glory with.

"Damn you Lysandre… damn you to the distortion world!" She whispered as she found herself at a dead end, unable to walk any further.

She looked up at the cloudy sky, and saw a flash of thunder and felt the rain smack her eyes and face relentlessly. But she didn't care, she had lost all care years ago, because of one single thing. One reason that drove her to this position she was in, the only reason she continued to remain champion when she just wanted to give it all up now after all of these years.

"DAMN YOU LYSANDRE!" She screamed to the sky, willing the wind to carry her voice to the ears of that bastard if he still lived. "DAMN YOU LYSANDRE… GIVE ME BACK MY RIVAL!" Another flash of lighting appeared, and seconds later the roar of thunder sounded, as if challenging her cry. "GIVE DAVID BACK TO ME… GIVE ME BACK MY RIVAL LYSANDRE!"

She collapsed to the ground on her knees, unable to stand any longer, but still she screamed her rage to the sky, begging the world to give back what she had lost.

She wanted her rival back, because deep down she knew that 'he' was still the better trainer, and no title or record as the champion could or would change her opinion.

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HIM!" She screamed. "IT SHOULD BE HIM, I shouldn't be champion… it should have been him…" She moaned, hurting her fist on the ground as she pounded it. "Just… give me one more battle… I want to prove I should be champion… JUST GIVE ME MY RIVAL BACK! I NEED MY RIVAL TO GET STRONGER…"

"LYSANDRE, GIVE ME BACK MY RIVAAAAAAAAL!" She roared one final time to the sky.

(David's PoV)

"Huh?" David whispered as he woke up with a start in his chamber, ignoring the sounds of thunder that echoed in the distance.

A pair of feminine moans sounded as he sat up, and one of them, Lucy, looked up at him. **"What is it?"** She whispered tiredly.

"Did you two hear something just now?" He asked them, looking around to see if he could hear whatever it was that made that sound.

" **I hear nothing…"** Lucy groaned, lying back on their bed. **"Go back to sleep love… it's not even morning."**

"But I swore I heard something just now…" He said.

" **I woulda heard something if you heard it as well… now either go to sleep or start fucking me… cause its way too late to be awake for any other reason…"** Lucy said with a small growl of frustration.

" **Darling… listen to your first Prime Mate."** Sophia moaned back to him. **"Go back to sleep or she'll never let you sleep again tonight…"**

He nodded in understanding and laid back down next to his Absol. Though just before he closed his eyes and began to sleep again, right as Lucy put a leg over his chest, purring contentedly, he couldn't help but think that he did indeed hear something.

He had heard someone yelling from a great distance, someone he thought that he knew.

It was a voice that he felt was familiar… very familiar.

=The Reason Lancelot Fights=

(Lancelot's PoV)

Lancelot yawned as he walked his two hundred and fifty seventh completed patrol around the food pit's perimeter, making sure nobody attempted to steal food while he was on watch. It was cold in the winter reserves, but being part steel he didn't mind. He also didn't mind that nobody had made any attempts to steal food while he was on watch, during the two weeks he's been on guard duty he has detected no intruders.

The only thing he didn't like being down here was the lack of conversation, as he was often alone down in the winter reserves.

" **Well not 'really alone."** He said out loud, knowing that nobody else was around to hear him. **"Lunara visits occasionally while I'm down here, just to check up on me and make sure there are no intruders."**

This was true, Lunara the Froslass that had requested him to be there, did indeed visit him often while he was on duty down in the pit. She was also the only Pokemon he ever spoke to personally, because none of the other Winter Guards wanted to bother with him, preferring their isolation.

The only other Froslass who he ever saw, besides Crysta, was Frostella, the Froslass who took berries to be given to the pack to eat. But she never spoke a word to him, merely ignoring him and doing her duty before quickly leaving him alone again.

Lunara however, he had come to know quite well with their daily talks, daily because she often visited him specifically just to talk to him, using the excuse that she was just there to check up on the food so she could be there. He was quite grateful to her, if she didn't visit him to talk to him, he probably would have gone to David and demand he put some other Pokemon down here.

Not that he didn't want to do this task, but he really, really disliked having nobody to talk to.

It reminded him of his days before he met Karen, when he was still looking for David all alone.

Days filled with sleepless nights, and endless searching, looking for a single aura in a sea of auras.

He yawned again as he completed his two hundred and fifty eight circle around the perimeter of the pit. **"It sure is dull down here…"** He whispered to himself as he looked around and saw that Lunara was approaching via her aura. **"How do they stand this isolation, if I were down here all day and night, I'd go insane?"**

Moments later Lunara floated into the chamber and over to him, giving him a gentle smile and nod as she approached. **"How are you Lancelot?"** She asked him. **"Forgive me if I startled you with my sudden appearance."**

" **I saw you approaching before you even reached the cave entrance."** He said with a chuckle, still pacing around the pit's perimeter.

" **Of course… your kind sees auras."** She said with a smile as she followed behind him. **"So tell me, what does mine look like? I'm curious because I've never met a Lucario before… or any species besides ice types or whatever species our leaders happens to be."**

Lucario nodded and looked back at her before switching his vision to see auras, and looked carefully to see what hers looked like. **"Yours is quite beautiful, it has a mixture of blue and white with the color of an azure sea."** He said with a smile.

" **Really?"** She asked with a look of surprise. **"You're not just telling me that right?"**

Lancelot shook his head as he resumed looking forward, glancing his eyes around to make sure he could see everything at once. They continued to patrol the pit for a few more minutes in silence before she asked him, yet again, about David and the others in their group.

" **So what's it like being partnered with a human?"** She asked.

" **It depends on what you mean."** He said wisely. **"If you mean what it feels like to be a mate to one, ask Lucy or Sophia. As for me, I've only known David personally for a few months, but for some reason I feel as if I've known him all of my life. And I have known him all of my life."**

" **But he's a human, and you don't look like the kind of Pokemon to just obey any human."** She said, floating ahead of him to look at him. **"Icicle told me of how strong you are, and how fast you are. She boasted that you move so fast that you can run across the ceiling and up walls without stopping. What did this human do to deserve such loyalty from a powerful Pokemon like you?"**

" **Nothing."** He said with a chuckle, walking past her, completing his two hundred and sixty first pass. **"He just exists, and that's why I follow him, that's why I'll always follow him."**

" **Well tell me, I want to know!"** She said eagerly. **"I mean… I've never known anyone to follow one who isn't strong in some way. But you and your fellows follow this human with loyalty that I've never seen or known."**

" **Well, if you insist…"** He said, thinking carefully about how to answer her. **"I suppose it's all because of my dreams."**

" **Your dreams… you say it's because of your dreams?"** She asked, looking at him skeptically.

" **Yes… you see we all have dreams, me, Karen, Terrance, Lucy, Sophia, even David himself. We all have dreams of one another, I remember them very well and quite fondly. Many of them were wonderful, some of them funny, and others very serious, but in all of them I knew that I wouldn't have them any other way because he was always there with me."** He said, continuing to walk. **"But there is this one dream that truly drives me to stay and protect him, and above all drives me to fight my hardest."**

He stopped walking and looked down at the ground with his arms behind him and hands clasped together. **"It's a horrible nightmare… one that I do not want to ever see happen to him."** He said calmly. **"Because in it… I fail him, I fail to protect him, and because I failed him he dies in that nightmare. I promised to be with him and protect him from all dangers, I swore to keep him safe… but I failed… and because of that he dies in that nightmare."**

Lunara floated gently in front of him and looked at him with a worried expression. **"What happened to him… in the dream I mean?"**

Lancelot resumed walking, brushing past the Froslass and remaining silent as he checked to make sure they were alone, before telling her. **"I was exhausted after a battle… I was in my Pokeball resting. But I'm released… and the next thing I see is my master… my friend… lying on the ground with me and the others surrounding him. He's clutching his chest which is bleeding, barely noticeable because he was wearing a red jacket. I check his aura… and see that there is a piece of metal… lodged inside of his left lung that also damaged his right one…"** He held a paw in front of his eye and glared angrily at it. **"For all of my power… for all of my speed and strength, for all of the countless battles and endless training he and I went through to reach that point in our journey. He dies to a tiny piece of metal… barely half the size of any of these berries and no wider than my finger! I could protect him from a Charizard's flamethrower, I could stand in front of a swarm of Beedrill stingers, and I'd even absorb the voltage of a hundred Raichu! Yet one, single, piece of metal, breaks through our entire team and kills my master!"**

She continued to stare at him in silence as he seethed to himself about the nightmare. **"So you're loyal to him, because you don't want to let your nightmare come true?"** She asked him.

He sighed in frustration as he put his paw behind him, resuming his original task of walking around the pit. **"He's a good human, and I want to protect him."** He said simply. **"I don't understand completely why, but I know I care and trust him. That's all I need to know to give him my loyalty. It's why I protect him, it's why I spent all of my life searching for him, and now that I've found him, I'll never let anyone hurt him if I can help it."**

She nodded in understanding before floating alongside him. **"I'm jealous… your leader has such loyal and trust from you and others around him."** She said sadly. **"I'm lucky if my mate remembers to address me by my name at least once a day. Normally he just says, 'hey you', or something like that. Heck, I'm lucky if he even bothers talking to me about… anything… besides about our duties down here."**

At that he glanced at her, and noticed she was frowning sadly. **"Why do you stay with him then?"** He asked her. **"Why not find another mate?"**

She shook her head and looked back at him. **"I've got nobody else here I could mate. All of the other Glalies are taken, and Glitter is the only one I really know."** She said.

" **I'm not talking about a Glalie, why not another Pokemon, from outside of these caves?"** He suggested. **"I'm sure there's a member of the pack that would be happy to have you as a mate. You're beautiful, kind, and very intelligent compared to the other winter guards…"**

She chuckled heartily before glancing at him. **"Are you trying to convince me to leave my mate?"** She asked him.

" **Uh… no…"** He replied, looking back forward and blushing. **"I'm just saying… I'm sure there's a Pokemon in the pack… who would more than make you happy."**

Lunara chuckled at that. **"I'll keep that in mind… but I'm afraid that I can never leave my mate."** She said to him. **"Just as you are loyal to your leader… I must remain loyal to my mate, as he remains loyal to me. Even if he doesn't treat me as nicely as you treat your leader Lancelot."**

" **That's a shame…"** Lancelot whispered as he walked ahead of her. **"That someone so nice, is forced to endure someone so cruel…"**

Lunara didn't respond, and instead followed behind him for a while longer, before leaving the chamber again to resume her own patrol, saying she would return for him in an hour to escort him back to the surface

He sighed again as he watched her going away, admiring how beautiful her aura was to him, and once again commenting to himself that someone so beautiful and intelligent, as well as kind and polite, had such a pathetic mate. **"Glitter has no idea what he has… and he takes her for granted."** He said, shaking his head and resuming his watch. **"How sad…"**

= Winter's Heat=

(David's PoV)

"So how are our food reserves for winter?" David asked Icicle.

It's been three weeks since he had Lucy begin the preparations for the winter season. At his request she had ordered additional foragers on duty, and consequentially additional guard Pokemon to protect them. She had also told them to increase their foraging efforts, and according to them their efforts were starting to make progress for the winter reserves. However she also told him to check up on the winter reserves with Icicle and see what Lunara and the other winter guards have to say about their food levels.

Which is precisely why he and the Glaceon were currently swimming back to shore on Terrance's shell with Lancelot. She had just returned from dropping off the day's foraging, and Lancelot was returning to guarding him for the rest of the day.

" **Well leader, according to Lunara, the food levels are starting to rise."** She said politely. **"She says also that we are still low compared to what we need to survive the winter months."**

"So in other words, keep increasing the number of berries we forage." He said with a sigh. "Our foragers are already being pressed hard enough. I'm not sure how much more I can ask of them. How much time do we have left before winter sets in, and all of the berry trees stop growing food?"

" **About two weeks left leader."** Icicle said.

"So we have this and next week left before winter sets in?" He said to her. "We're running out of time, and at the rate we're gathering we won't have enough to feed the pack during winter."

Icicle nodded but remained silent while Terrance continued to swim. **"If only there was a large number of trees we could forage from at once, that might help us."** Terrance said nonchalantly. **"But all of our territory's trees are already being foraged extensively."**

At that, David had a sudden stroke of inspiration. "Wait, I know where we could send our foragers!" He said. "Xena's grove!"

 **(Xena's grove?)** Lancelot asked him, looking at him curiously. **(Who's Xena?)**

"She's that Pokemon I told you about, the one with an X mark like ours Lance." He said. "She lives in this grove that was near where I always visited Lucy before coming here. And I remember her grove, it was surrounded by trees and I remember a lot of them had fruit growing on many of them. I never noticed it before because I never lived in the wild, but if there's enough there…"

" **Then we can get enough to feed the pack."** Terrance finished as he slid to a stop near land. **"Brilliant idea David, but will this Xena allow you to take her food for our pack? If her small territory is as bountiful as you suggest it is, than she might not be willing to."**

"I'm sure she'll let us forage there." He said, climbing off of Terrance's shell.

 **(I'm sure she'll let 'you' forage there, but what about the whole pack?)** Lancelot said, jumping off of Terrance's shell and landing beside him nimbly. **(She is 'your' friend maybe, but she's not the 'pack's' friend, nor are we 'her' friends. She might not be willing to let us forage all of her grove's trees for food, possibly depleting her own food reserves as well.)**

He thought again about asking Xena for permission to forage now with that in mind, but in his mind he's already made his decision. He couldn't allow the pack to starve, and he was sure that if he asked politely and explained their position, Xena would allow them to forage there. "We don't have many options, besides its either we ask and she lets us forage there or this pack starves during winter." He said. "After our agreement with Pack Logan, we've had to give up a section of our foraging trees to the west. We can't afford to let this chance pass us by without at least trying to ask her."

Another reason why they were so low on food, despite Lucy's orders and the efforts of their foragers, was that Pack Logan had suffered the loss of some of their berry trees thanks to Vicious' rampage months back. The Mightyena leader, named Logan, blamed David's pack for this and demanded compensation by surrendering a section of their foraging territory. Feeling responsible, as well as not wanting to risk a confrontation with the equally strong pack, David had agreed and surrendered a section of their foraging trees.

The pack accepted his decision, but there were a few Mightyenas and of course the Houndooms that didn't like his choice. Since they were very territorial by nature they didn't like giving up what they felt was rightfully theirs. Still, they didn't challenge his choice, and none of them spoke out against it.

"That's what we'll do, we'll send a few Pokemon to the grove where Xena sometimes meets me and where she says she lives." He said, looking at Lancelot and Icicle as well as Terrance. "They'll explain our situation and if I must, I'll go myself to talk to her."

Lancelot nodded and saluted him respectfully. **(As you wish.)** He said. **(Who should we send?)**

"I think Lucy should go with the twins Yara and Nera to escort her." David said as they began to leave the lake chamber, waving goodbye to Terrance who began swimming back out into the water. "Lucy knows where to go, so she should be able to find it again. Assuming she can find Xena, she'll talk to her and explain what's up. Thank you by the way Icicle for all of your help."

" **My pleasure leader."** She said with a chuckle, before walking away down a side tunnel to her chamber.

Minutes later a Ninetails approached the pair of them, and he recognized it as Natalia. "Natalia, how can I help you, also how are your pups?"

" **Greetings leader, they're healthy and doing well, and… uhm… I have a request to make of you tonight?"** She said tentatively, eyeing Lancelot. **"Can I perhaps… discuss it with you in private?"**

"Very well." He said politely, following Natalia and leaving Lancelot behind as he turned away to keep watch. "What is it Natalia?"

" **Leader… can you mate with me again?"** She asked him nervously. **"I'm in heat again… and I don't want to settle down just yet… so would you mate with me again and sooth my heat?"**

He blushed as he looked around to make sure they weren't being overheard, and indeed they weren't. "Uh… I guess…" He said nervously. "Don't you have any male you're interested in?"

" **No… at least not yet…"** She replied quietly. **"Until I do though, can you continue to mate with me during my heats? If you're afraid of getting me pregnant leader, I wouldn't be opposed to the idea. If they're your pups I wouldn't mind having them… "**

"It's not about me getting you pregnant, trust me the chances of that happening are very slim… it's just that even though I'm used to the idea of mating with Pokemon now. The concept that every female in this pack can come to me and I can mate with any of them, it still is a little embarrassing to me." He said, blushing again. "Back in Lumiose City… I would have been lucky to get a date over coffee with any girl in school."

" **I see… well… will you still mate with me tonight leader?"** She said hopefully. **"If not… I'll try to find a male… as you suggested I should… but there aren't any I like in particular at this moment…"**

He sighed before shifting his eyes to look at something else. "I'll mate with you… just make sure you tell Lucy before… you know." He said.

" **Thank you!"** She said, licking his face with a smile. **"I'll go and find the First Prime Mate now! I'll see you later!"**

She pranced away with her nine tails swaying from side to side while he followed behind and went back to Lancelot, who was apparently fascinated with some of the glowing rocks lining the walls and ceiling. "She asked me to mate with her tonight, she's in heat and doesn't have a mate to help her through it." He said, but all Lancelot did was nod and continue looking at the rocks. "Are you alright Lance?"

 **(Oh yes, I'm just examining these rocks.)** He said, rather hastily. **(Is there something I can do for you?)**

"Uh… actually there is something I've been meaning to ask you." He said as he walked to meet with the elders in their meeting chamber. "Why is it whenever someone talks about, mating, you always seem to try and ignore the discussion?"

 **(No reason in particular…)** He whispered, but now there was a very prominent blush on his cheeks.

"Lancelot… can I ask a personal question of you?" He asked, something at the back of his mind telling him that this behavior was oddly familiar, especially from him. "Are you perhaps… a virgin?"

At that Lancelot seemed to not even be listening, as he seemed absolutely captivated by the rocks. Yet the deep red color in his cheeks answered the question for him.

"Alright… forget I ever asked." He said, chuckling as he dropped the topic. "I won't tell anyone else, so don't worry about it."

 **(I'm grateful…)** He replied quietly as they headed to the Elder's chamber so that David could inform them of his plans for increasing their food reserves for winter.

=Two Hours Later=

David yawned as he left the elder's chambers, hating how long the elders had kept him busy. _*Now I know why Lucy called them 'windbags' at first."_ He said, walking groggily to his chamber, Lancelot having left to return to his a long time ago.

As he approached his chamber, he saw Karen standing at her usual post, flipping her stick in her hand lazily, amusing herself while she waited for him. **"Hey master."** She said, stashing her stick back in her tail and crossing her arms. **"You've got a Ninetails waiting for you inside, and Lucy and Sophia are waiting as well for you."**

"Thank you Karen." He replied, blushing slightly, remembering that he had promised to mate with Natalia tonight. "Can you uh, make sure nobody bothers me for the rest of the night?"

" **You got it!"** She said with a grin, giving him a salute with her left paw while positioning the other paw behind her back. **"Have 'fun' chief!"**

"Thanks…" He whispered as he walked past her and into his chamber.

(Multi PoV)

When he walked in the first thing he smelled was a very sweet and very enticing scent, and it was obvious as to the source as he entered his chamber at long last, to see all three females waiting patiently for him. Lucy was grinning as Sophia and Natalia conversed, but at his entrance all three looked at him, and Lucy's grin grew wider.

" **Hi love… I heard you agreed to mate with Natalia again."** Lucy said, her scythe tail wagging ever so subtly. **"Well, you know what I say to that… I have nothing against it… especially if I get to mate with you after her!"**

" **It's been a while since you had some 'action' my maître."** Sophia said with a chuckle. **"Shall we get started… or do you want 'us' to get you in the mood."**

"I don't think that's necessary." He said with a chuckle, as he felt his hormones answering the call of Natalia's heat, just as they had answered Lucy's. "So Natalia, are you ready for another night with me?"

" **Yes leader…"** Natalia said, getting up and moving aside so that he had room on the bed with her. **"I hope you find me… satisfying again…"**

He sat down on the bed and, deciding to not mess around with subtleness, gently pulled Natalia the Ninetails in for a long and drawn out kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth and electing a moan from her. She was very warm, as expected from the last time he mated with her, and he could tell that she was thoroughly enjoying the kissing treatment he was giving her, based on the moans of pleasure she let out.

 _ ***Oh~***_ Natalia thought happily, as a few seconds after he began kissing her, he put one hand to her swollen and puffed up pussy and began to rub it. _***Our leader… is so~ much better… than Scar! Why couldn't I have mated with him during my first heat… this is amazing!***_

She closed her eyes and simply let her leader please her and himself, but she was more than ready to go straight into mating, and judging by how her leader was starting to remove his lower clothes, her wait was almost over.

" **Oh my David… already hard are we?"** Lucy asked as he removed his lower garments, eyeing his hardened member as it stood up straight, in all its full glory for them. **"Are you sure you're a human and not a 'Metapod'?"**

"Oh… I'm sorry Lucy…" He said with a chuckle, noticing what she was talking about, while Natalia moaned at him stopping.

" **It's alright darling… with Natalia's heat, it's bound to happen…"** Sophia chuckled. **"But how about you start mating our poor mother in heat, I don't think she can take much more of this waiting."**

He looked back at the Ninetails and saw that Sophia spoke the truth, she was panting as her tails swished from side to side, and her eyes looked like they were begging for something desperately. And thanks to those Ninetails pheromones coming from her heat, he knew what that was and was just as eager to give her what she wanted. "Are you ready Natalia?"

" **Yes… leader!"** She panted.

"Then in that case come here…" He said, beckoning to her to walk over to his lap, which she did eagerly, placing her front paws on his shoulders and draping her tails over his legs. "Alright Natalia, I hope you don't mind… but thanks to my two Prime Mates, I've gained a bit more… stamina. Think you can 'last' as long as 'them'?"

" **Oh, I think we're being challenged Sophia!"** Lucy giggled as David lined his dick up with the Ninetail's pussy.

" **Indeed, questioning our l'endurance au lit, I think we're going to be up for quite 'a while' Lucy."** Sophia barked. **"Well, let's see if this 'firefox mère dans la chaleur' can last as long as our maître can in bed!"**

"We're about to find out…" David said, as he pulled down the Ninetails onto his member, enveloping in her very warm and surprisingly wet folds.

" **Ohhhh~!"** Natalia moaned loudly as he began to thrust her up and down at a slow and steady pace. **"Yes… like that… this feels so good!"**

David smiled as he mated with the mother in heat, continuing to fuck her at the slow pace he was going at. The only thing stopping him from going all into the act, was that he was reminding himself that the only reason this Ninetails was mating him, was because she was in heat. Her instincts were driving her to seek out a mate. She was not like a human, and she only mated with him because he was her leader.

" **Leader… I can feel you… so deep inside of me!"** She moaned, licking his mouth with her tongue. **"When did you… feel this good?"**

"I had a lot of 'practice'." He said, glancing at his two Prime Mates who both grinned back at him.

They continued like this for several minutes, with David massaging Natalia's soft fur while continuing to thrust in and out of her blisteringly wet and warm passage. She was incredibly warm, just like Lucy had been while she was in heat, but again it was a pleasurable kind of warmth.

After a while Natalia's moans began to change in tone.

" **Yes~!"** Natalia yelled as her tails started flicking every few seconds, while her rear legs gripped him as tightly as they could. **"I'm close… I'm so close leader!"**

"Already?" He said with a grin while easing her on her back.

" **That won't do Natalia, our leader isn't even near his orgasm yet!"** Lucy chuckled from the side.

" **That's right, you don't get to cum till he does!"** Sophia said with a giggle. **"I knew foxes were horny, but this horny?"**

"No, that's alright… I'm about to cum as well!" He said as he began to thrust into the Ninetails faster. "Shall I release… inside of you?"

" **Yes… yes…"** She moaned again. **"Inside of me… inside leader… end my heat!"**

With a few more hard and rapid thrusts, he hilted as far as he could into the Ninetails, and released his seed into her enticing womb. **"Ahhhh~!"** She cried as she came as well, soaking his dick in her warm essence while her rear legs stiffened.

After a few moments David pulled out of the Ninetails, and a bit of his seed leaked out of her sex and soaked her fur. "How are you… feeling?" He asked her.

" **Full… leader… very full…"** She replied, exhaustedly while flipping onto her side. **"Thank you… so much… my leader… I hope I was… satisfying."**

"You were… believe me." He chuckled as Lucy sauntered over to him.

" **Good… because now it's my turn to show you how a 'real' female treats her 'leader' and mate."** Lucy chuckled. **"So get ready love, it's time for round two."**

(Karen's PoV, many minutes later)

Karen watched as David mounted Sophia in her favorite position, from behind, and began to pound her pussy like a wild Mightyena asserting its dominance over his female. She moaned softly as she fingered her own pussy, wishing she were in there as well, getting pounded roughly by her master.

" **Arceus… what a master…"** She moaned as she continued to finger herself, preserving her virginity for her master to take. **"I can't wait… for my turn!"**

=One Dead Tree in a Bountiful Grove=

(Lucy's PoV)

" **Alright you two, step lively now!"** Lucy yelled to the twins as she walked through the forest, close to the Route where trainers and humans passed by every day. **"And stay low, don't know if we'll encounter any trainers."**

" **We know the way Prime Mate Lucy, but may we ask who this 'Xena' is that we're looking for?"** Yara asked politely as they stayed in the underbrush to conceal themselves.

" **Yes… what species is this Xena?"** Nera asked curiously.

" **Uh… to be honest… no clue!"** Lucy said with a chuckle.

It was the next day and Lucy had been asked to take the twins so that she could speak to Xena, David's friend in the forest. He had told her where to meet Xena and where she lived and could be found, but couldn't describe what her species name is, only to call out her name and hope that she's in the Grove or nearby.

" **You have no idea Prime Mate Lucy?"** Yara asked skeptically.

" **Hey, I never met her personally okay?"** Lucy growled back. **"I'm only going on what David says, if he says she lives in this grove then she lives here."**

" **I hope… I don't want to go back to our leader and tell him we failed."** Nera said nervously.

" **Don't worry about my mate, if we can't find this Xena than I'll just go back to him and apologize, and say I'll try again tomorrow."** She said with a chuckle. **"Or I'll just give him sex to make up for screwing up."**

Earlier that morning she and Sophia had awoken to find their David with his arms wrapped around the two of them, gripping them close to him under the blankets. That picture had gotten many giggles from them, but after he had awoken and dressed, it was all seriousness. He had told her about Xena's grove, about how he remembered it having a bountiful amount of food bearing trees that their foragers could harvest to help feed the pack during winter, but only if Xena gave them permission.

Which is why she was trudging along through the forest the way she used to when she was just a member of the pack, instead of its Prime Mate.

" **So what's this grove look like?"** Nera asked after they walked for ten minutes, being careful to avoid being spotted, and finally walked down the path that David used to take to meet up with her.

" **You're about to find out!"** Lucy said as they turned a corner and exited into the grove.

The very same grove where fate had turned her former writer from Lumiose City, into the leader of a pack of Pokemon.

" **Whoa…"** Nera and Yara said as they looked at the grove.

For several yards around them were dozens upon dozens of trees, beautiful and green despite the many fallen leaves littering the ground, though now that many trees had lost some of their leaves she could see behind the initial rows of trees that she had once paid little attention back then. She could see that there were trees filled with fruits growing from their branches, berries ripe for the picking, countless bushes in between each with their own bushels of berries.

David had been correct, this grove had enough food packed here to feed their pack during the winter. All they needed to do was find Xena and contact her.

" **Yep, looks like the boss was right, lots of food here, but where is Xena?"** She said, looking around for a Pokemon, but it was empty. **"Do either of you sense a Pokemon nearby?"** She asked as they walked forward, toward an oddly out of place, dead tree.

" **No."** Yara replied.

" **I don't either."** Nera said.

" **Weird… he said she lived here and rarely left it she said."** Lucy whispered as they approached the dead tree. **"Xenaaaaaa!"** Lucy yelled.

There was silence as the only thing that replied was the wind blowing through the branches.

" **It's weird that despite the bountiful food in this grove, there's this one dead tree."** Nera said as they looked around.

" **Yea… weird."** Lucy said, noticing a faint 'X' mark in it. **"I wonder… HEY XENA!"** Lucy yelled again, looking around to see if maybe they were being watched. **"I know your around here, David called, he said he needs to speak with you!"**

Silence was the only answer she received.

" **Look Xena, I'm a friend of David, you know, David?"** She shouted, looking back along the path they came down, thinking maybe she was behind them somewhere. **"David the writer from Lumiose, about two feet taller than me, light blue eyes, funny personality? Come on, I know you're out there! It's urgent that we speak to you."**

Silence again, but then she heard a slight rumbling from behind them.

She looked around and backed up alongside Yara and Nera, as they watched the dead tree with the faint 'X' mark on it, begin to shake.


	20. Chapter 17

_*Our pact was thus…*_

 _*Six lives lost, reborn together to unite with one another…*_

 _*Six perished that day… reborn by the seventh!*_

=Chapter 17, Memories of the Past, Pt 2=

=Xena=

 _[I most highly recommend listening to the Xerneas awakening cutscene, for the music for this 'particular' section.]_

(Lucy's PoV)

The Absol watched the tree shaking while slowly backing away from it, with Nera and Yara right behind her, all of them staring in awe at the tree as it came to life. _***What kind of Pokemon is that?***_ She thought as it began to glow now, with multiple colors flashing, illuminating the forest around them. _***That's not a Trevenant… or any other tree-like Pokemon that I know of!***_

As the tree shook more it began to emit an even brighter light, one so blinding that Lucy had to close her eyes just to stop them from stinging. The light hurt her that much, and something about it felt both familiar and caused her great fear. Yet its familiarity caused her to remain where she was, enduring the pain it was causing her. _***A fairy type move… is that what this is? But what is causing it?***_

Then the light began to fade and Lucy could see better now, and what she saw astonished her.

It stood nine feet tall, three times her height, with eight horns that extended up and out from its head, each of which was pale gold and had blue, purple, red, and orange colored tips on each horn. Its body was blue and black, with the head having two very small horns poking from either side of its cheeks. On its body the blue fur jutted outward similar to the horns on its face, and it walked on four legs that were similar to blades where the ends ended in points like hooks.

Yet as it screamed loudly, before taking two heavy steps forward to look down at Lucy, Nera, and Yara, the Absol saw something that made her realize that this was indeed the 'Xena' that her mate and human friend spoke of.

She saw in her eyes, the exact same 'X' mark that she had in her left eye, only this Pokemon had that 'X' in both of its eyes. But while hers and the others were merely faint imprints in their eyes, this Pokemon's eyes had the 'X' clearly showing and very solid.

As it stared down at them, the horns on its head stopped glowing and changed color, turning from gold and the various colors she saw, to a pale blue and similar blue to its fur. Then she felt something brush against her mind, as if some other presence that was far older and more powerful than hers was touching her, pushing against her to gain access to her thoughts.

" **My head!"** Lucy growled, shaking her head furiously to try and rid it of that strange sensation.

 **(Stop struggling my young Future Seer.)** A very feminine voice whispered gently in her head. **(I mean you no harm… but as I lack a mouth like yours this is the only way I can speak to you.)**

At that the pain in her head vanished, and she looked up to see the gentle pair of eyes looking down at her. **"You're… Xena?"** Lucy asked.

As Xena nodded, Yara and Nera screamed in shock. **"Xerneas?"** Yara shouted.

" **What's Xerneas doing here?"** Nera yelled.

" **Xerneas… you mean the Xena my David knows… is really the Life Pokemon Xerneas?"** She asked in astonishment. **"How does he know you?"**

At that yet more pressure forced its way into Lucy's head, causing her to groan in pain as a rush of images flooded her mind. She saw images, places, things that she had no knowledge of, people she didn't know. Yet at the same time, they were familiar, as if she did know everything that she was seeing.

She could see an open sea with a huge cliff face on her right, while casually strolling down the beach with a human, and a pair of Pokemon behind him.

She was underground, making a funny face in front of a wall that was so shiny that it reflected everything. Beside her several others laughed loudly at her expression, before joining her in making fun of their reflections.

She saw a massive tower, one that towered high above a nearby city, with the statue of a Lucario inside of it at its base.

She saw a large skating ring, where several people were casually skating while others battled alongside Pokemon while they raced at high speeds.

She saw a huge pile of Pokeballs inside of a factory, looking down from a walkway of metal as the sounds of a conveyer belt rolled along, dropping more balls into a pile labeled 'Sorting Chute' while also separating others into a pile labeled 'Defective'. Yet these Pokeballs were perfectly fine, and also were piling up into several small trucks.

She was seeing everything, absolutely everything that was happening as though she was familiar with every minor detail, yet also as if she saw it from a stranger's point of view.

She had never been to Route 8, the Glittering Cave, Shalour City and the Tower of Mastery, as well as the Pokeball Factory. But at the same time, she felt as if she had indeed been at those places.

 **(You ask how he knows me… that is a story that must be told with the others like you.)** Xena, or Xerneas whispered gently in her mind, causing Lucy to look up at her. **(You said you wished to speak with me?)**

" **Uh… yea…"** Lucy said, forgetting everything that she was supposed to talk about. **"My pack… pack David… is in need of food to survive the winter season. So my leader David… asked me to talk to you, and ask you to let our foragers harvest your… territory's fruits and berries, so we may feed ourselves during winter."**

Xerneas shifted her glance to the sides, before nodding. **(I will discuss this with none but your leader.)** She said politely. **(For years I have watched him grow, live, and all from the shadow of the forest. The time has come for us to talk… so take me to him… your 'leader' David. Long has this reunion been delayed, and long have I wanted to speak to him about a great many things. Now that the six of you have finally found one another.)**

" **Huh?"** Lucy asked. **"Six of… you mean David and the others?"**

Xena merely nodded before looking at her. **(I will discuss this with your leader… now please… take me to him.)**

With that, Lucy saw that the legendary would keep to her word, and would not speak any more on the subject until she saw David. So Lucy, along with a very nervous and amazed Yara and Nera, began the trip back to their den, leading the legendary who took one step for every three or four of Lucy's and six or seven of Yara's and Nera's.

(David's PoV)

"So elder Isis, is there a reason why you've asked me to order everyone to leave the lake chamber?" He asked the blind Espeon, as she walked alongside him in the lake chamber with Karen and Sophia.

" **Yes my leader, you see I had a vision concerning today."** She replied. **"This vision saw you and your fellows, those with the marks in your eyes, alone with another in this chamber. It is necessary that you do this leader."**

"Very well, but Lancelot is going to be a tad late because he's guarding the winter reserves at the moment." He said. "I hope Lucy comes back soon, we really need that food from Xena's grove if we're to survive the winter."

" **I believe you will feed us during the winter, but now is not the time for such talks."** The Espeon whispered as she yawned. **"I am tired leader… if you will permit me to leave, I shall return to my chamber and rest."**

"Oh of course elder Isis, do you need help?" David asked.

" **No, but thank you for your offer."** She said, before walking toward the exit of the lake chamber.

As she left hearing range Karen elbowed David's leg to get his attention. **"I've always wanted to ask her, how does she find her way around this place without being able to see?"** She said with a grin.

"Karen!" He said.

" **What, I'm just saying master…"** Karen said with a grin, shrugging her shoulder. **"I can get that she's psychic, but come on… how does she even find the bathroom in the morning?"**

"Karen…" He said. "Stop making fun of the elders…"

" **Alright, alright master."** She said with a chuckle.

They walked to the lake's edge where Terrance was waiting for them, eyeing them eagerly as he noticed how empty the chamber was. **"What is wrong David?"** He asked calmly. **"Why have you ordered this chamber to be empty? This is rather sudden and unusual."**

"Isis told me that the six of us are to be alone in this chamber with… someone." He said. "I'm not sure, she wasn't very descriptive with her details. But then again whenever Isis has a vision, she's rarely descriptive of anything specific."

" **Well, I for one am eager to meet this seventh member of our little band."** Sophia barked happily. **"I mean think about it, we all know there aren't any others like us out there, this Xena sounds like the last one. Now we can finally get some answers and perhaps figure things out."** She looked at Terrance with a raised eyebrow. **"Have you any other thoughts Terrance since we last spoke?"**

The Lapras shook his head respectfully. **"When is Lancelot getting off duty by the way?"** Karen asked suddenly.

"He should be getting off now, why don't you go wait for him Terrance?" David said, nodding to Terrance.

" **As you wish."** He said, before swimming backward and turning to head toward the winter reserve entrance.

"Now… if I know Lucy, she should be back any moment now." He said, looking over his remaining friends. "Hopefully she'll have Xena's response, or even brought Xena with her."

" **Five minutes in the Hall of Origin says she brought Xena with her!"** Karen yelled, causing both David and Sophia to stare at her in confusion. **"What… didn't either of you play spin the bottle at night? I thought you went to school."**

David just shook his head in amusement before he heard the sound of someone calling his name in the distance, and it sounded just like Lucy. Turning around he saw it was indeed Lucy, with the twins Yara and Nera behind her, and trailing behind all three was a nine foot tall Pokemon with eight large antlers. Once they were some distance the twins turned and left the chamber, leaving Lucy to escort Xena alone.

He never did get Xena's species, and he never could find her image in the Pokemon database at school.

Then again, he didn't check it very hard for her specifically, in fact the only ones he made sure to look up almost every day were Absol, Lapras, Furfrou, Braixen, and Lucario.

Which again… seemed very odd that he looked up those specific Pokemon species.

Yet what he saw now that erased his thoughts of how odd he was back then was how nervous Lucy was as she was constantly glancing between David, Karen, Sophia, and finally Xena behind her.

(Lancelot's PoV)

" **Thank you again for helping us today."** Lunara said politely as Lancelot walked toward the exit. **"Take care of yourself."**

 **(I will, thank you very much.)** Lancelot said kindly to the Froslass.

With that she stopped following him and waited until he was at the entrance and waiting for Terrance, before she turned around and went back into the deep caverns of the Winter Reserves. He chuckled as he felt her leaving, noticing how this was the closest she had ever come to leaving the caverns and catacombs below, just to see him off. If she weren't already mated to Glitter, he would have thought she had a crush on him.

 _ ***Then again, if she weren't mated to him, then that means another would have a chance to claim her…***_ He thought in his mind.

 **(Forget it Lancelot… she is taken, and that's that.)** He said to himself psychically, watching Terrance the Water Guardian swimming toward him. **(She's already got a mate, even if he doesn't deserve such a rare beauty and gentle creature like Lunara as his mate. Just be happy for their relationship and carry on with your duty!)**

Yes, duty, duty always came first before all others, and he had his duty to protect David above everything else. Besides, it's not like he has time to romance and frolic around like Karen does. At any moment their master could be attacked, just like Scar did when they were at their most calm and when their guard had dropped. This resulted in their friend being injured by Karen, he could not allow that to happen again.

No, he 'wouldn't' allow it to happen again.

 **(That's right, it will never happen again.)** He whispered silently as Terrance reached him.

" **Hop on Lance, we got company coming!"** The Lapras said politely.

 **(Company?)** He asked back, climbing aboard the giant water Pokemon's shell.

" **Yea, apparently we got Xena, that last Pokemon who shares our marks."** He said as they began to swim back toward the main shore, where in the distance Lancelot saw a giant Pokemon enter. **"Oh… looks like she's here."**

 **(Yes… but who is that?)** He asked, unable to make her out clearly at this distance. **(She looks familiar… very familiar…)**

Terrance nodded while they swam closer, than once they could make out what species the Pokemon was he began to swim faster, as if he were in a hurry. **"No way, it can't be!"** He shouted in shock.

 **(What is it?)** Lancelot yelled as he gripped the Transport Pokemon, astonished that he could move this fast so quickly.

" **It is her… I can't believe she's really here!"** He yelled, ignoring Lancelot's question. **"She's right here in our den! Xerneas!"**

 **(Xerneas?)** Lancelot asked, looking up and seeing Terrance was correct, now that he could see the Pokemon it was indeed Xerneas, the Life Pokemon. **(What is Xerneas doing here?)**

" **We're about to find out!"** He said as he began to slow down as they neared the shore.

(David's PoV)

David turned around to see Terrance swimming rapidly toward them, unusually fast considering there was no rush. Yet as he watched he saw the Lapras swim as though Giratina were behind him. As they neared the shore he slowed down and Lancelot jumped off his back, did a midair spin, and landed nimbly beside David. "Nice landing." He commented while Lucy walked over to him. "But why the rush, it's just my friend Xena."

At that Lancelot looked at him with an exasperated expression, as though he wasn't sure if David was speaking nonsense or clearly to him. **(Just your friend 'Xena'?)** He asked psychically. **(David… that's the legendary Life Pokemon Xerneas!)**

At that, David's eyes widened in amazement as he looked over at his childhood friend, as she nodded in confirmation at Lancelot's proclamation. Confirming that she was indeed Xerneas, the Life Pokemon of legend, the very same legendary that he had read about in school. One of Kalos' mythological Pokemon at the heart of its culture.

Sophia stared open mouthed, Lucy was looking curious as well as amazed, Lancelot was still astonished and Terrance was eyeing the whole scene.

" **Uh… who's Xerneas?"** Karen said, causing everyone to look at her. **"Hey… don't stare at me like that, I didn't get to hear all of those fancy stories and lore that you guys did growing up. Remember, being traded for seven years and training constantly? You don't get to do a lot of reading when you're fighting or training every day!"**

David sighed as he looked at Xena before speaking of the great legendary. "Xerneas is known as the Life Pokemon, it is said that Xerneas is capable of sharing life energy with those around it. As it nears the end of its life span it releases all of its remaining energy and shares it with the world, before turning into a tree to sleep for a thousand years. It is also said that it can create forests around it, creating beautiful groves that cannot be rivaled in their beauty."

 **(That is correct my friend… and master…)** A sudden gentle, and feminine voice whispered in all of their minds. **(Yes… I am the very same Xerneas that he speaks of… and I have come here now before you all… to tell that which must be told now.)** She looked around at each of them, one by one, looking with the same 'X' eyes that they each shared with her. **(For eighteen years you all have searched for one another, to be reunited with each other, to have the holes in your hearts be made whole once more. So it was, so it has come to pass… you all have found each other… and together your souls have reunited.)**

"What are you talking about… what do you mean our 'souls'?" David asked, thoroughly confused.

 **(Years ago… I forged a pact with you and those beside you David.)** She said calmly. **(In that pact I gave you each a mark, one that would identify you all, and would guide you to find one another, helping you to recognize each other from all the millions of lives who inhabit this world. This mark can be found in your left eyes, and it is exactly as I said it is, a mark that identify you as one who is part of the pact with me.)**

" **Pact, what do you mean pact?"** Lucy asked.

Xerneas looked at them all briefly before her eyes started glowing, causing them all suddenly cringe in pain.

David put a hand over his left eye, it was stinging him so badly that it felt like it was on fire. "What are you… doing… stop it!" David yelled, collapsing to his knees as he felt his head starting to hurt as well now.

" **My eye!"** Sophia screamed from beside him. **"It hurts, stop it!"**

" **What is going on?!"** Terrance yelled as well. **"My head, it burns… like it's on fire!"**

 **(I can't feel my own eye!)** Lancelot cried psychically. **(What are you doing to us?)**

 **(Helping you remember…)** Xerneas said gently. **(You will not understand any other way. What you have locked away was my doing, and you will not understand what you have lost until you have remembered it once again. Now remember your dreams… remember what you have seen each night for as long as you can imagine. Recall all that you dreamed and what you knew of each other, what it was that drove you to find one another.)**

As David tried to ignore the pain and look at her, he felt something in his mind, life a door was opening up to him, flooding his mind with imagery and sensations, emotions and thoughts that he could not remember ever feeling or seeing.

 **(Now… remember… who you were, in another life!)** She yelled into their minds. **(Remember, what it was that made each of you special to one another! What drives you to be together, what binds you together, remember the bond you once had!)**

=The Dreams of the Journey=

 _ ***I remember…***_ David thought quietly as he felt himself staring at a series of flashing imagery, but there were images that stood out most. _***Yes… I remember… I remember getting a Fennekin in Aquacorde Town.***_

" _I know right? It was such a cool feeling when Trevs and I met our Pokemon! Hope you feel the same way we did!"_ A voice said, and he recognized it as someone he knew.

 _ ***Yea… I remember!***_ He Thought as he suddenly found himself sitting next to a table, watching a chubby kid of his age pull out a capsule, containing three Pokeballs. _***I remember Tierno… he let me choose a Pokemon at the request of Professor Sycamore!***_

He watched as he took out the center Pokeball, and out came a small Fennekin.

 _ ***Karen… I named her Karen…***_ He thought. _***She was so happy to meet me, we were practically friends the moment our eyes met!***_

(Karen's PoV)

 _ ***I remember… I remember meeting David after he released me from that ball!***_ Karen thought as she saw David for the first time in her life, looking tall for a Pokemon her height, and with that silly red hat of his. _***I remember him… I was his 'starter'… his very first Pokemon he ever had. But I wasn't just his pet… I was his friend, a very good friend of his! We became partners, we became companions… we were inseparable!***_

As the dream of Karen meeting David for the first time vanished, it was replaced by a rush of colors, which quickly melted into the next scene, the one where she and David met Lancelot for the first time.

 _ ***Yes… I remember this… Route 5… we met him on Route 5!***_

(David's PoV)

David watched as he walked out of the Lumiose City Gate to Route 5, and wondered where Trevor and Tierno were after they called him to check out Route 5. Then he saw a three foot bipedal Pokemon run toward him, look him up and down, before circling him as though he were trying to find something. When they were face to face, he said **"Carrrr!"**

" _Wait, Lucario!"_ A girl's voice shouted, and moments later a girl in roller-skates rolled up to them with a worried expression, behind her was a second Lucario, similar to the first. _"Sorry about that! Are you Okay? I was doing some special training with my Lucario when all of a sudden it dashed off…"_

(Lancelot's PoV)

 _ ***I remember seeing David's aura… I was**_ _ **drawn**_ _ **to it, his aura was so similar and unique to mine...***_ Lancelot thought as he looked between Korrina and David.

" _Hey Lucario! What's going on with you? Did you get drawn by this boy's aura or something?"_ She asked, confused as to his actions up till now.

" _ **Carrr!"**_ He replied in his native speech, which translated to _**"Yes!"**_

" _Huh. Well, it seems Lucario likes you!"_ She said to David while smiling.

" _You think so?"_ David replied, looking back at him.

" _See, Lucario can read people's auras. I_ _guess something in your aura has made this one take a liking to a stranger! This Lucario is always getting worked up in battle with my other one."_

Lancelot turned back to Korrina and agreed with her, but then she began to ramble on as she usually does when she gets into whatever she's doing. _"Maybe it's just waiting for a Trainer to appear who's strong enough to challenge it..."_

Korrina caught herself and stopped talking, but not before she blushed and giggled to herself. _"Oops! I was on such a roll, I forgot to even introduce myself! I'm Korrina, the Shalour City Gym Leader. If you're collecting Gym Badges, I'm sure we'll be battling sooner or later! I'm looking forward to it. I hope you know how to roll with the punches!"_ She said, before waving goodbye and skating away with her other Lucario.

Lancelot turned and looked at David one more time, before nodding and walking away to catch up with Korrina.

 _ ***Yes… I remember that day fondly.***_ Lancelot thought as he watched himself racing to keep up with the roller skating gym leader. _***A day I'll never forget… because I felt that I had found someone… worthy. Worthy of fighting, someone who could help me become stronger…***_

(David's PoV)

The images flashed again, and this time when they slowed down and the scene unfolded, it was later that same day, almost nightfall, when he and Karen were about to eat dinner.

" _Alright, dig in Karen!"_ David said as he sat next to their 'feast' of a dinner, which consisted of canned food.

" _ **Fenn…"**_ Karen grunted as she ate her share.

" _Hey don't look at me, we spent all our money buying enough supplies."_ He said grumpily. _"If someone didn't burn up everything we had three days ago, we wouldn't have had to spend most of our money on clothes, medicine, and even food."_

 _ ***Yea… I forgot… Karen got overconfident in one battle and ended up burning our stuff while we battled a wild Pokemon."**_ He thought as he watched him and her eat their meager meal. _***But this is also the night I met Sophia… I remember it, she arrived right about now, just as we were digging in.***_

They heard a rustle of leaves from behind and turned to see a three foot tall, dog like Pokemon run toward them, eyes focused on their food.

(Sophia's PoV)

 _ ***Yes… I remember it fondly, I was a stray, a wild Furfrou living each day as if it were a war of me against the world.***_ Sophia thought as she watched herself run toward their food, thinking she could make a quick getaway. _***Every day was a struggle, just finding enough food to survive, it had made me strong, but I was tired of it and was on the verge of just ending my own life. But I was afraid… and my fear drove me to keep going with that life. That day I was starving, I hadn't been able to find any decent berry trees, I smelled their food and thought it was a dream come true. But it was guarded, I knew I could beat them, it was just a small fox Pokemon and a Human, I figured I could grab their food and run! But I was careless and made an error."**_

She jumped at the food, but Karen reacted quickly, unleashing an ember attack and driving her back, causing a burn on her fur. Then everything began to go dark as she thought she had fainted or died, but after a long while, she found herself coming to, staring at the human and watching him tend to her wounds.

" _You alright there?"_ He asked her. _"I'm sorry about what Karen did, but she thought you were trying to attack me, and she only defended me."_

 _ ***He had captured me in a Pokeball after seeing how weak I was, he had done it so he could heal my wounds. I remember him offering to let me go, but no… I chose to stay with him. I saw what the Fennekin had with him, she had food, she looked strong, and she seemed to like this human. Not only that but she was strong, and I wanted that kind of strength as well!***_ She thought as she watched the scene play out before them, with David offering to destroy her Pokeball and return her to the wild, but her refusing and asking to stay with him. _***I was tired of running, tired of fighting for my food and just living each day to go through the whole thing again the next day. I had heard of trainers, catching Pokemon and training them to become great battlers, being praised and admired for their skill. Some became famous and wealthy, and their Pokemon idolized as heroes and legends, basking in the glory that was their power and skill.***_

She watched as they began to eat again, only now there was another can of food opened for her, one more addition to his team.

 _ ***I wanted a new life, and he gave me that life… he tamed me… and it was a day that if I could relive, I'd do that all over again.***_ _She thought._ _ ***Little did I know, that not only would he help me get stronger, but I would end up liking him greatly.***_

The scene melted again and colors once more began flashing, before settling onto a scene near a cliff, high above what looked like the sea. She remembered it as Route 8, the same route they met Lucy.

(Lucy's PoV)

 _ ***That day… of course… how could I forget?***_ She thought. _***That day I was driven from my pack of Absols, a clan that lived in the mountains of Route 8. I had a vision of a great disaster occurring in the future, I foresaw something unnatural, a flower blooming to wipe out all life.***_

She watched herself walk down the route, looking for someone to vent her anger and frustration on.

 _ ***I was angry, angry at my clan, the world, everyone. How could I be given this gift, and yet no one believes me! They outcast me, thinking I was bluffing or being silly, none of them had that vision and think I'm just trying to get attention. I was made an outcast after that, forced to leave my own home to find my own way alone!***_

She saw herself turn a corner and walk smack dab into David and his Pokemon, right as they were jumping down a small cliff, catching them completely by surprise. She grinned as she saw the human, and decided to vent her anger on him.

 _ ***How foolish I was, I stood no chance against them. His two Pokemon were stronger than I was, and after a few moments of fierce fighting I had been captured.***_ She thought, watching the scene play out even as she thought those thoughts. _***I thought he was one of those slavers, capturing Pokemon on a whim, but after that, he treated us to lunch, and even gave me something called a 'Poke Puff. It was the most delicious thing I've ever had, especially after he treated my injuries and apologized for how much his Pokemon hurt me.***_

 _ ***Later that night I told him of my vision… and while he didn't understand me entirely, he did listen. It was difficult to describe without being able to speak to him, but the sheer fact that he listened to me… didn't ridicule me, didn't dismiss what I told him, it made me like him. After that I got to learn more about him from his two Pokemon, and from then on, I made it my goal to repay him for believing in my warning.***_

She watched as they all began to curl up for bed, and saw herself lie as close as she could to her new human Trainer. _***After that we learned of Team Flare, and we began to piece together my vision and what Team Flare's plans were.***_ She thought as they fell asleep. _***Who would have thought… that the human who 'listened' to me, would be the very same human I fell in love with. After a few months being with him, I didn't want any other male… I wanted him, and him alone.***_

(David's PoV)

He saw the scenery change yet again, now they were on top of what looked like a massive tower, overlooking a city in the distance.

 _ ***The Tower of Mastery… where Lancelot and I became partners… and he became my Mega Evolution Partner, where I first used Mega Evolution.***_ He thought. _***Yes… I gave the Charmander that Professor Sycamore gave me to another child in Lumiose, he looked like he needed a partner more than me. Sycamore understood and congratulated me for not being greedy as well as having a giving heart.***_

" _Mega Evolution… Go!"_ David shouted as he touched his finger to the Mega Ring, and watched as the Mega Stone Lancelot wore glowed in response.

A flash of colors later, and he had evolved just as Korrina's Lucario did as well. Then they both charged at their trainer's commands, each using Power Up Punch, after one blast both of them were panting, as if they didn't hold anything back in their attacks. Then they got up one more time, and charged again, and this time Lancelot struck down their opponent, just before he could be defeated.

(Lancelot's PoV)

 _ ***How could I forget, that moment was the most important moment in my life!***_ He thought proudly as his Mega Evolution ended, emerging triumphant against the Lucario that he had never once been able to best until now. _***Before that day… I could never truly unleash my power… something was always missing! But then David came into my life… and after being beaten by Karen in battle, I knew he was the trainer I was waiting for. I could see it in his aura, he could help me unleash my true potential. Not even Korrina could match that bond I shared with him, what it took my fellow Lucario years to achieve with her, only took me a single battle and meeting with David to reach.***_

" _What an explosive battle! I could tell that both Mega Lucario didn't hold anything back! With strong bonds like that, you shouldn't have any trouble triggering your Pokemon's Mega Evolution!"_ Korrina said. _"I think it would be best if you took that Lucario along with you on your journey. It's quite apparent that you two make an incredible team!"_

He saw himself turn to look at the human trainer beside him, the one who had the same matching aura as his, and who he had come to respect and admire so easily for his strength and power. Without even exchanging any words, they both knew they would be together from now on. _"Well there, what do you say, do you want to come with me, Lancelot?"_ David asked with a smile.

He smiled and shook the hand, accepting both the name and the offer to join this Trainer's team. _ **(I would be honored to stand by your side.)**_ He replied, giving him an oath he swore he would never break. _ **(I will fight by your side, no matter what foe we face, and I will always call you my friend no matter what happens in our lives. Master David.)**_

 _ ***How could I forget… that was the day I made my oath… a vow that I would never break, so long as I lived…**_ * He thought as the scenery began to melt yet again, and now they were beside a wide expanse of water, the river of Route 12, where they met Terrance for the first time.

(Terrance's PoV)

 _ ***I remember that day fondly… it was the day I treasured because I finally could leave that pitiful river!***_ He thought as he watched David accept his Pokeball from that nice human who's life he had saved. _***I didn't mind it, it was a nice river, but I always dreamed of seeing the oceans, the vast seas of the world. I wanted to hear the stories of this world beyond that dinky little river. So when David took me and gave me my name… I was so happy I even tried to jump for joy!***_

Even as he spoke, he watched David release him from the Pokeball, asking if he wanted to join him on his journey around the Kalos Region. Sure enough, the Lapras nodded and indeed, tried to jump in joy.

Alas all that ended up getting him was falling on his side and causing David to run for cover. But they laughed about it afterwards. Then David asked what he felt about naming him, and soon after he was named Terrance, Terrance because unlike his fellow Lapras, he wanted to see the land as much as the sea.

 _ ***After that, he hopped on my back, and we surfed all the way to the other side, and the first thing I wanted to do was jump for joy on land.***_ He thought as the scene played out, with them reaching the other side, and Terrance jumping for joy as he was released outside of a cave so that he could see what a 'mountain' looked like, as well as what a 'cave' looked like. _***That also ended up with me falling on my side… and David running for cover.***_

(Karen's PoV)

 _ ***Ugh, how could we forget meeting Terrance?***_ Karen thought as she remembered the infamous, 'flipping the Lapras' moment. _***David had to call us out to help us flip Terrance over after he 'jumped for joy'. Took us an hour of lifting him two times before we realized that all he had to do was recall Terrance into his ball. That was so embarrassing, I was glad Serena's team wasn't there to see us trying for an hour to 'flip' a Lapras over.***_

The scene changed yet again, and then they saw themselves in a swamp, filled with dead and dying trees, especially Trevenants. As they travelled through it, David had to ride atop Terrance's shell so that they could get past very deep sections of the marsh. They didn't mind because as they swam, they occasionally ran into Pokemon Rangers, and they swapped stories with the rangers. The Lapras always liked listening to stories, something she and the others didn't really bother doing.

 _ ***Though I will admit, if he didn't pay attention to any of those stories… we would never have begun piecing together the connection between the King of Kalos and the Ultimate Weapon.***_ She thought as the scene began melt again, before dissolving into their next adventure at the Kalos Power Plant.

(Lancelot's PoV)

 _ ***The Power Plant, how I remember it so…***_ Lancelot whispered as he watched himself and David running along a walkway. _***That was the day David taught me the meaning of the word chivalry. When I first began to believe in his cause, and when I stopped questioning why we were fighting that Team Flare when there were more capable people and Pokemon, who could easily perform the task.***_

" _Come on Lancelot!"_ David said as they ran across the exceedingly long walkway, overlooking the massive wires and electrical circuits far below them. _"Whatever it is Team Flare is doing here we have to stop it!"_

 _ **(But why?)**_ Lancelot asked, suddenly very angry at his Trainer. _**(This is a job for law enforcement, not everyday trainers like you. Why are we fighting this Team Flare when we should be letting the law handle them?)**_

At that David slowed down and stopped running, causing the Lucario to stop and look puzzled at him. Moments ago he was in a rush to try and stop Team Flare from siphoning power from Lumiose City, now he's not running and standing still? _"Because it's the right thing to do Lancelot."_ He said, turning to stare at him.

 _ **(The right thing?)**_ He asked.

" _Yes, because it's the right thing to do."_ David repeated. _"Yes, this is a job for the police, or stronger trainers than me, but we're here and they aren't. Who knows how long it will take for them to get here, by then it may be too late, but we're here now and we have to do something while we are here!"_

(David's PoV)

 _ ***Of course… I taught Lancelot that sometimes doing the right thing means you have to involve yourself with something way above your head.***_ David thought as the memory unfolded before him. _***I taught him that sometimes you have to help those who can't help themselves, and those power plant workers were helpless before Team Flare. You can't just let the weak suffer when you have the power to help them. That's why we were there.***_

Lancelot looked at David and then the power plant, the same power plant that lit and powered the homes and houses of thousands upon thousands of people in Lumiose City. _If this power plant continues to be damaged by Team Flare, then all of those people will suffer, and we'll be just as much the cause of that suffering as if we were doing it ourselves.*_ David said. _"We can help stop Team Flare here from doing whatever they are doing, maybe we don't need to, or maybe we must. But if I'm here now with you guys, I need your help to beat Team Flare Lancelot… I can't do it alone. The only strength I have is you guys.*_

(Lancelot's PoV)

 _ ***Chivalry, I later learned that was chivalry he was talking about, his own form of chivalry.***_ Lancelot thought as he turned to David and nodded, smiling proudly as he understood now why they were there. _***The weak cannot protect themselves always, and it is up to the strong to help protect them. I learned what it was to be noble and chivalrous. I had to stand up to those who would abuse the weak, defend those unable to defend themselves, I had this strength inside of me, and I had to use it or else it would be wasted!***_

 _ ***And he was right, if I simply ignored the problem that was Team Flare, I was just as guilty of being a part of the problem, instead of being a part of the solution!***_

Once again the image of the Power Plant dissolved, and in its place was the Pokeball Factory.

(Sophia's PoV)

 _ ***The Pokeball Factory, I remember that day like the back of my paw!***_ Sophia thought as they saw themselves battling against one of Team Flare's many administrators, as well as two of its prominent scientists. _***That was when our David obtained a Master Ball, as well as drove away that blasted Team Flare away from the place where Pokeballs were made.***_

She watched as David released herself and Serena released her female Meowstic, both of them ready to do battle with Celosia and Bryony, Team Flare's Scientists, and their Manectric and Liepard.

 _ ***I fought hard to bring those uptight scientists down, but it was thanks to our teamwork that we overcame them.***_

The scene dissolved yet again, and now they were inside of an extremely cold cavern.

Frost Cavern.

(Lucy's PoV)

 _ ***Oh how could I forget this place, this was when all of the pieces began fitting together!***_ Lucy thought as David released her to challenge Team Flare's Scientist Mable and her Houndoom. _***My vision told me that an unnatural disaster would befall this region, one capable of destroying the world. We learned from this place that Team Flare was gathering a vast amount of money, Pokemon, and energy for something big. It was so cold there, and I was struggling against that Houndoom, so much so that Lancelot had to take over for me!***_

As she watched David recalled her back into the safety of her ball, just as she was struggling to stay up, and sent out Lancelot. Seconds later they Mega Evolved and ended the Houndoom's battle with a single Power Up Punch.

 _ ***Later that day I asked David why he pulled me from battle, I was still strong enough to fight, and I could have taken that Houndoom. I wanted to fight that Houndoom first, the last Houndoom I fought had showed me up and I wanted to prove myself. But he recalled me before I had the chance!**_ *

As she watched the scene melted and showed exactly what she spoke of, it was later in the day and they were all eating dinner out in the cold. _**"Absol! Sol ab Absol?"**_ _Lucy yelled angrily when they were alone, which translated to her saying_ _ **"Why! Why did you pull me from battle?"**_

(David's PoV)

" _I assume you're asking why I removed you from the battle and let Lancelot take over?"_ David said to Lucy, who nodded angrily.

 _*I remember this as well, it was the day I told her something I knew was one of my failings.*_ He thought as the scene played out.

David watched as he turned to the angry Absol and looked into her red eyes, and frowned sadly. _"I didn't want you to get hurt anymore, maybe you would have won, but if you got badly injured because I let you keep fighting…"_ He sighed and turned back to their small fire flickering in the cold. _"In case you didn't notice, I never like putting you guys out in battle against Pokemon you can't win against. Even if it means risking losing the fight, I won't let any of you struggle against an opponent you might lose against.*_

(Lucy's PoV)

 _ ***He cared about us, he did indeed care about all of us.***_ Lucy thought as she watched her anger melt just like the snow next to their fire. _***Yet another reason why I loved him, even if he had to lose a fight, he wouldn't sacrifice our safety to win a battle.***_

The scenery changed once more, and colors melted before it coalesced into a new scene, one inside of a café.

(Karen's PoV)

 _ ***I remember this café, it was the same café that my master got criticized for not evolving me!***_ Karen thought as she watched David getting into an argument with a guy who had a male Delphox. _***The jerk was saying I was weak because I wasn't fully evolved. He even told my trainer off because he gave me an Everstone instead of an Eviolite or simply evolving me.***_

As she watched, David, with all the calmness he could muster, walked out of the café with Karen behind him.

 _ ***I remember it well, that was the day I began to wonder if I should evolve or not.***_

David and Karen walked for a bit before he noticed she was lagging behind him. _"Is something wrong Karen?"_ He asked her. _"If you're tired you can ride on my shoulder or go back into your ball."_

Karen shook her head as she walked past him, barely matching half of his normal pace.

" _What's wrong Karen, is it something that jerk said back there?"_ He asked her, surprising her by lifting her up and placing her on his shoulder.

She looked at him before sighed and nodded. _**"Braixen… brai."**_ She said, which translated to _**"Yes… master."**_

David sighed in understanding before scratching her ears, making her giggle and smile again. _"Don't you let anything that jerk say get to you girl."_ He said with a chuckle. _"He's just jealous because what his Delphox had to evolve to obtain, you have wrapped up in one sweet little package."_

 _ ***Master David always did know how to cheer me up… ever since I evolved into a Braixen I watched as we face more and more challenging opponents. There were times I contemplated evolving, just for his sake, so he didn't have to watch the rest of his team pick up my slack. But he never gave up on me, and even though I was prepared to evolve, he didn't want me to unless I wanted to evolve for 'my' sake, not his.***_

The scene began to melt, but this time all of the colors started to vanish one by one.

(David's PoV)

 _*I remember… I was a trainer…*_

(Karen's PoV)

 _ ***He was my Original Trainer… I was his starter!***_

(Sophia's PoV)

 _ ***I was no longer a stray… I became stronger, and I could not have been happier!***_

(Lucy's PoV)

 _ ***We went on a journey together… we helped save Kalos!***_

(Lancelot's PoV)

 _ ***We became more than partners… we became friends, family!***_

(Terrance's PoV)

 _ ***We went from one side of Kalos to the other… we were a team!***_

(Multi PoV)

" _ **We remember now!"**_ They all shouted at the exact same time.

In a flash they returned to their minds, the visions had ended, and they all were back to where they were, but all of them were panting and on the floor, as if they had run the width of Kalos and back twice over. Yet all they could think was that they were together again, they all remembered everything.

David was a trainer, he remembered now, the gym battles, the travels, the many days and nights they spent training and fighting. Karen was his starter, the very first Pokemon he ever had. Sophia was a stray, she had become his second Pokemon, and Lucy was his third. Lancelot was his strongest and fastest, and the only one who could mega evolve in his team. Terrance was their swimmer, the only water type among them, and above all the most curious about the world.

As one they looked at each other, and stared open mouthed into one another's eyes.

Then with an almighty yell of joy, they ran at each other and collapsed into the largest group hug they've ever had.

"We're all here!" David yelled as he hugged Lucy and Sophia as close to him as he could, scratching their fur while they licked his face raw.

" **We're together again!"** Sophia cried.

" **The gang's all here!"** Karen screamed as she jumped up and grabbed David's neck, holding on as tightly as she could.

 **(We're no longer alone!)** Lancelot cheered as loudly as the rest, pulling them all together with strength far greater than anyone else.

" **How could I have forgotten, you guys are so important to me!"** Terrance moaned happily as he beached himself, soaking them all in a mixture of lake water and tears of joy.

" **Why didn't I foresee this?"** Lucy yelled happy as she giggled.

All of them were soaking in their reunion, each of them remembering how long their journeys have been. Karen, enduring trainer after trainer; Lancelot, journeying from one city to another; Terrance, going over every dream in his head and trying to find his friends; Lucy, always knowing somewhere out there was her true love and family; Sophia, having her Trainer but never knowing why she always stayed with him; and David, always knowing something was missing but never understanding what that was.

As they huddled and hugged, licked and cuddled, nuzzled and scratched each other in their massive group hug, they all felt something else happening.

Something warm and glowing in all of them, as if they could each other's souls, wrapping together in an embrace warmer than touch could replicate. It felt more emotional than all of their emotions together could match, and it was as if they were even happier than ever before. It was like their souls were forming a golden ball of emotions and feelings, expressing it in the purest and closest form that could be expressed, and they could all feel one another so much more intimately than ever before.

They could feel each other as if they were each other, Karen could feel Sophia's joy, Lancelot couldn't tell if his tears were his or Terrance's, Lucy didn't know if it was her love or David's that she felt for the others. It was so confusing but at the same time so amazingly wonderful that they just didn't care.

All they knew was that they were a family, and they were together again.

After a while though, something started creeping into David's thoughts, and the others felt it as well, and they felt the same thing happening to them.

A single thought entered all of their minds, and as one, all of the joy and wonder seemed to vanish.

 _ ***But if that was us… what happened to us?***_ They all thought at the same time. _***If we were on a journey together… how come we don't remember finishing it? And why do we remember everything as if… it were a different life?***_


	21. Chapter 18

_*Blame, I am to blame…*_

 _*Benevolent I am, cruel I am as well…*_

 _*The gift of eternal torture, the worst of my sins.*_

=Chapter 18, Memories of the Past, Pt 3=

=Xena's Mixed Blessing=

(David's PoV)

 _*If that happened… if we went on that journey and saved Kalos, then how come I don't remember what happened at the end of it?*_ David thought to himself as they all stopped feeling the wonderful emotions that their souls had experienced.

They all stopped sharing in their group hug, and all stared at Xerneas, standing in front of them and watching them with gentle and saddened eyes. "Xen… I mean Xerneas." David said, stepping forward and staring into his childhood friend. "What happened to me, why do I remember going on that adventure, why do _we_ remember going on this adventure? What happened to all of us, why don't we remember how it ended or why don't we remember ever finishing it?"

" **Yea, I remember distinctly dreaming of becoming big famous champions!"** Sophia barked. **"I wanted to become famous and live the vie de luxe et de confort! You know, spend all day relaxing while maids dote and pamper me and my maître!"**

 **(Yes, I concur, what happened?)** Lancelot growled, stepping forward and glaring at Xerneas. **(How come we don't remember how it ended?)**

" **Yea, I can only remember up to beating that creep Lysandre and then finding and freeing you in his crazy hideout!"** Karen said. **"What happened afterwards, my memory's a blank after that?"**

David however, felt a tugging sensation in his mind, and felt a sudden sense of dread and sadness coming from one of his friends. They all turned and instinctively stared at Terrance, who was looking down at them all sadly, and this time his tears of joy were obviously tears of sadness. "What's wrong Terrance?" He asked softly.

Terrance looked at him, before sighing in defeat, as if he didn't want to talk. **"I was hoping that my theory was just that, a theory."** He said. **"But if my theories were as accurate as they appear to be now, then the only reason we don't remember anything after that…"** He looked up at Xerneas and seemed to ask her something silently, before continuing. **"Is because we died… just after that happened."**

At that, they all stared at one another, before again staring back at Xerneas as if to ask her if it was true. All Xerneas did was nod sadly, confirming what Terrance said.

"No… I remember… beating Lysandre and making our escape!" David said, recalling that event as clearly as he could. "Lancelot beat his Gyarados, it was close but he barely won… I recalled him and he yelled about how the world will never change and then…" He stopped talking because right after that, he couldn't remember exactly what happened. "After that… I don't remember what happened after that…"

 **(Yes… nearly nineteen years ago to this day, was the day you saved this region and the world by your actions as well as those of your friends and companions.)** Xerneas said to them, taking a few steps forward toward them. **(On that day, you saved a great many lives, but at the cost of your own. I wish I could say it was a noble death… but it was not. You died… a pointless and unnecessary death.)**

"Impossible… how could I have died and… how can I still be here!" David yelled, his fear and frustration mixing together alongside the others as they tried to piece together this mystery. "I remember being alive, I remember the Tower of Mastery, Glittering Cave, the Haunted House, Gym Leaders and everything else! Sure there are pieces missing, but I remember doing all of that with the others, with my team, my friends! How could I have died but still remember everything from that journey, as well as my entire life up till now? I'm not nineteen yet but I know I didn't just pretend my entire life was made up. I watched Serena on the PokeChannel, I saw her debut as Kalos' new Champion! How could I have died but still remember everything?"

At that Xerneas looked at each of them one at a time, before she looked back at David. **(Your body was dying, there was nothing to be done… your fate was determined and it was too late to save you.)** She said. **(On that day, just before you took your final breath, I what among you humans call a 'legendary', performed what is known as a pact. I formed it with you, and through you, your team. The only way to save you, was to save your soul. So it was with our pact, I bound your soul and mine together, so that as long as I lived, so too would you. Your soul was reborn into a new body, the moment you breathed your last.)**

" **Hold up his soul?"** Karen asked. **"Your saying you saved his soul, but what about the rest of us? So how come we're all here, I know I wasn't on death's door."**

At that everyone looked back to Terrance as they felt him once again realizing something they didn't see. **"The only reason we all would have remembered everything, was if we all died as well."** He said solemnly, looking at Xerneas for confirmation. **"I assume that was also true, to save his soul you went through this pact, and we, his friends and family, followed with him and also entered this pact?"**

Once again, Xerneas only responded with a nod.

"You're saying every one of us died?" David yelled. "Why would you do that, I wouldn't have wanted my team to die just to save me, even if I were about to die, I wouldn't have wanted them to join me in death!"

 **(I had no choice…)** Xerneas began saying, but was cut off by David yelling again.

"Why not?" He yelled angrily. "If you knew what I was like, you would have known that I would not have let my team die just so they could be with me! I would never have let that happen to any of them!"

" **Well what about us?"** Lucy shouted, causing David to look into her angry eyes. **"Don't we have a say in it? I know we were a part of your team, but I loved you more than just as a Trainer. If you died, I couldn't live life the same way anymore! After all we went through, how could I?"**

 **(Yes, what about the rest of us?)** Lancelot growled furiously, walking up to David and staring intently at him. **(You taught me what it means to be chivalrous, to protect the weak, to use my strength for the greater good, and not for selfish reasons! I'm only as strong as I am because I had you to help me! You were more important to me than anything in this world was, would you really have left me alone in this world?)** He grabbed David's hand and held it tightly, before focusing his ability and channeling into him, sharing his ability to see auras. **(I never saw another trainer like you, and I'll never find another like you. You and I are a team, we are one and the same. If I lose you, I lose more than just my trainer, I'll lose a friend that I can never replace, and no other trainer will be the same as you. How could you even think of leaving me alone after everything?)**

 **(Look at us master, look at all of us, and look at our auras!)** Lancelot said, making sure David did what he said. **(Look at our auras, they are the same as yours, they belong to the team of Pokemon that you brought together! Think about what we feel before you condemn us to anything!)** After he had looked around at everyone's aura, Lancelot ended the ability and revealed to him that he had been crying the entire time. **(You meant the world to us, we cared about more than you can imagine! Lucy loved you to the point that she would rather die than live without you. I treasured our friendship and bond that nothing could ever replace it. Karen believed in you so much that she never viewed another trainer the same as she did you.)**

" **I wanted to see the world with you, it isn't the same if you aren't there."** Terrance said sternly, leaning his head to look at David, staring at him with gentle but serious eyes. **"I followed you across Kalos my friend, and after our adventures, I'd follow you anywhere, even into death."**

" **You tamed me when I was wild, made me civilized…"** Sophia barked softly, causing him to look down at her. **"If you aren't there… life isn't worth living. No matter the comforts or pleasures I could enjoy, it doesn't mean diddly squat without you."**

" **What Sophia and Lancelot said love, you make me whole."** Lucy said tearfully. **"If you aren't there to share a life with, than it's not a life I want to live…"**

Karen coughed loudly and brought everyone's attention to her now. **"I won't say what you just said is wrong master."** She said, glancing at him with a disappointed look. **"But for us, living life without you would have been worse than death. At least when we're with you, we're happy. You meant the world to us, and I know you feel the same way about us being the world to you. Don't even think I'm bluffing because 'I'm' your starter, and a starter is the closest to the trainer next to the Mega on the team."** She pulled her stick out of her tail and pointed it at him lazily. **"I battled an entire team of professional Pokemon, all of whom I was weak against in type to, just to find you to be with you. Lancelot journeyed for nearly sixteen years trying to find you. Don't tell me that what we did was a waste, because I'd endure far worse just to be where I am right now. That Pokeball wrapped around your neck is my home, as long as you have it, I know I'm always home! That's more important to me than some championship title."**

As they each said their share, he felt bitter, not at them but at himself. _*How could I think like that…*_ He thought to himself, remembering everything they all went through just to be with him. _*They were just as important to me, as I am to them. How could I be so cruel to them… to not want something bad happening to them when if what they say is true, and for them living would have been painful, they might have killed themselves just to end it. I would have died just to protect them from harm…*_

 **(But we would have died… so that we could be together with you.)** Lancelot finished, with a sad but warm smile.

All around David the others nodded, smiling warmly but also sadly, just like Lancelot. Despite how morbid the discussion was, they were in agreement. They'd rather die with their Trainer, than live life without him.

 **(I'm afraid it is more than just death and life that I have put you through.)** Xerneas whispered sadly, causing them to stare at her now. **(To ensure your souls survived, I bound yours to me David, and their souls to yours. Now that we are all together, our pact is now complete and fulfilled. You must now realize certain key things about it.)**

"What key things?"

 **(The first… you will have noticed is that your eyes are identical.)** Xerneas said, to which they all nodded in understanding. **(These marks do more than just identify you to one another, they share what you each see to each other. In times of great distress or fear, you will signal to the others of your situation, and they will see what you see for a brief moment from your perspectives. You have no doubt, seen this happen several times.)**

"Yea… when Scar was about to attack me, I thought I was seeing from Lucy's perspective for a brief moment." David said. "I saw Scar about to attack me, and just at the moment the vision ended I reacted."

" **Yea… I was terrified about David being killed."** Lucy said. **"I was crying silently, begging anyone or anything to save him. You mean that was… me who saved him?"**

Xerneas nodded. **"And when I was about to be raped by Vicious, I cried out for help, asking anyone to save me."** Sophia barked. **"Terrance arrived at just the last moment, any longer and who knows what would have happened."**

" **If I hadn't been about to check on the underwater passage for intruders, I might not have seen her in time."** Terrance said. **"It was very close... I was almost too late."**

" **And the time when Scar ambushed me and David with his Linoone goons, I was afraid that I wouldn't last long enough for help to arrive!"** Karen exclaimed. **"I was crying out for Lancelot, he was the only one who could help me in time!"**

" **We all saw that vision, but Lancelot was the first to arrive because he's so much faster!"** Lucy said.

 **(Yes, that is what the mark does. It binds you all together, and unifies you so that you can protect one another. Also, now that we are together, we will all now share faint feelings and emotions from one another. We will pick up what each other feels while in close proximity. Our fears and worries, our joys and sorrows, pleasures and other experiences will be enhanced because of this bond.)**

"Enhanced… so you mean… if ever I or one of us…" He asked awkwardly, to which Xerneas nodded.

 **(Yes… if you should mate with one another, or another being, we will all feel those faint emotions and feelings.)** She said with a hint of laughter. **(Not in their entirety, but we will all feel traces within our minds and hearts. I'm sorry if you were hoping for privacy, but when in a pact with a Legendary, one rarely has such privacy.)**

After a few minutes of accepting the conditions of this pact, David glanced at the others and saw they were all blushing deeply. "Well… this is going to take some getting used to." He said awkwardly.

" **Ditto."** Karen said.

" **I wouldn't mind if it were just you and Sophia David… but sharing my feelings when you and I mate with Lancelot, Terrance, and Karen…"** Lucy said with a nervous chuckle. **"Not what I want…"**

Several minutes passed as they tried to each get used to the idea of sharing emotions with one another, before Xerneas spoke to them once again, calling for their attention to focus on her. **(There is more to this pact than just merely seeing what we see and feeling what we feel.)** She said nervously. **(Because I have bound David to me in a pact, he now shares my life span… as do the rest of you.)**

" **Wait what?"** Karen said. **"You saying we're all immortal? That we'll live forever?"**

Xerneas nodded. **(You will live for as long as I do… as long as you live so will I, so long as you live so will they.)** She said, looking at them all one by one. **(You will outlive and outlast all those mortal, blessed with eternal life and eternal beauty, now that our pact is complete. From this day forth, until the day we all take our final breath, we shall not change in appearance. You will appear as you do from this moment onward, as I do, looking the same a hundred years from now.)**

"So my mother… my father… my grandparents and school friends?" David said. "I'm going to outlive everyone I knew from back home in Lumiose?"

Xerneas nodded sadly, and he could see the sadness in her eyes as well. **(I am sorry… I do not have such issues as I have no family. Only Yveltal do I concern myself with personally, for as I give life, he takes life. But for you, I can only imagine and guess as to how painful it is for you… the knowledge that all you know will eventually age and wither into dust, while you remain the same.)** She bent her head close to David's and looked into his eye, showing that she was truly sorry for what she had done. **(What I have done… is not blessed you. What I have done, is cursed you. Though I saved your souls and brought you together, what I have forced upon you can only be described as a curse. But this is not the worst of my sins…)**

"What do you mean?" He asked.

At this she focused her attention on Lucy, Sophia and Karen. **(You three… what my pact has done is thus: from the moment you were born, your bodies lost their ability to reproduce with any male.)** She said nervously. **(The only ones capable of reproducing with you, with my consent, are those males within our pact. Without my permission, you three will never conceive a pup of your own.)**

There was a moment of silence before Lancelot and Karen, as well as David and Terrance were struggling to contain a pair of very angry and upset females. Lucy and Sophia were trying their absolute hardest to get at Xerneas, claws extended and fangs bared. **"YOU DID WHAT TO US?!"** Lucy roared angrily, trying desperately to inch her claws and scythe ever closer to Xerneas' legs. **"YOU'RE TELLING US THE REASON WE AREN'T PREGNANT IS BECAUSE OF YOU?"**

"Lucy calm down!" David tried to say, but the female Absol would not relent.

" **HOW DARE YOU, YOU… YOU 'ARC GÉANT ORIGNAL'!"** Sophia barked, trying vainly to shove her way past Karen, who was holding her back with one paw while Terrance kept her down with the weight of his head.

" **I don't even know what you just said, but will you calm down?"** Karen yelled.

After a few minutes of frantic struggling, and finally Lucy had tired herself out as well as Sophia, but both of the females were crying angrily. **"How could you do that to us Xerneas?"** She yelled angrily. **"You're supposed to be benevolent! You're the life Pokemon, you give life to all around you! How could you deny us from experiencing the miracle of giving birth? Do you know how many years I've wanted to have his pup, how many nights I've dreamed of having a family of my own, how could you do that to us?"** She finally stopped struggling and just sobbed, letting her tears flow onto the ground. **"How could you… how could you? I've waited all my life… all my life! How could you?"**

Sophia moaned sadly alongside Lucy, but her eyes still had anger in them as she stared at Xerneas, letting them tell her feelings instead of her voice.

 **(What I did is unforgiveable… and for that I am sorry… but understand, I had to prevent it in order to protect our pact.)** She whispered sadly. **(If I did not, you might have done something that I cannot risk. You may have given birth to an entire species of Pokemon who will never die with age. I only did what I had to do…)**

" **What does that mean?"** Sophia barked angrily, and Karen had to brace herself in case she tried attacking again. **"I know I'm not that educated, but even I know when something doesn't make sense!"**

" **I know what she means."** Karen said calmly, though she looked just as angry now as she looked back at Xerneas. **"Terrance had young with his mate while he was still with his pod, but she specifically didn't do anything to the boys of our group like what she did with the girls. The only reason David hasn't gotten any of the other females pregnant in this pack is because he's human, and it's difficult for him to do so because of their body types. The chances are slim to none normally, even between a human shaped Pokemon and a human, but throw in a quadruped based Pokemon like an Absol and the chances decrease to almost zero. But if he or Lancelot were to get any of us pregnant… we would give birth to offspring that were immortal because the pups inherit abilities from the mother, and only traits from the father."** She let Sophia go so she could fold her arms and glare at the legendary. **"Breeding 101, a comp Pokemon learns these things quickly."**

Xerneas nodded in confirmation. **(What you said is true… had you three given birth to any pup, they would be immortal, and enter into our pact. They would not die of old age, and they would experience the same feelings and emotions that you all feel, and you they.)**

"What about Terrance's young?" David asked, looking back at Terrance as he looked sadly at the ground. "You mean they'll die of old age while he still stays young?"

Xerneas nodded once again, sadly as she confirmed what David had said.

" **What of my young, I left them years ago in my pod to search for my friends here?"** Terrance asked. **"What will become of them?"**

 **(I know not what destiny will befall them, but at least know this; your young will live long and happy lives.)** Xerneas said calmly. **(It is the least I could do for the sins I have committed. Another part of our pact, if you three males had any young before joining together with the others, I imparted a portion of my life energy into them all. I guarantee that they will live full life spans, and no ill will befall them, what kind of lives they live, is up to them.)**

" **At least… they'll live happy lives."** Terrance said with a content sigh. **"That's the best I could ask for them."**

 **(There is more to our pact than just that…)** Xerneas whispered. **(Not only are our souls tied to one another, our bodies are as well.)** Xerneas stepped forward and lowered her horns so that they were touching David's cheeks, then quickly swiped upward, and made a small but noticeable cut on his cheek.

Instantly his face stung and he recoiled in pain, but what shocked him was that the others also reacted. On each of their faces, a small cut of varying sizes and length appeared on their cheeks, exactly where Xerneas had cut him. Even Xerneas had a cut on her cheek, though because of her muzzle's size it was tiny by comparison.

 **(Whatever one of us suffers, the others suffer, should one of you be cut the others will be cut as well. And because of how our pact works… if one of you should die… our fates are shared.)**

" **So you're saying that if one of us die we all die?"** Lucy yelled. **"That's it, good game, no rematch, no do overs, and no second chances? Not even for you?"**

Xerneas nodded. **(Yes… our fates are tied… should one of you die… then I too shall suffer death at long last.)** She glanced at them all sadly. **(I have lived for many a season, many a lifetimes, when humans still only used sticks to hunt for food. I do not fear death, but I will not let it take me without a struggle. Nor will I allow death to claim you as well, the moment I entered into this pact with you all, my fate was decided.)**

Xerneas looked down at the ground, before she began to sob, letting her tears fall to the ground, where somehow grass started to miraculously grow. **(Please forgive me for what I've done.)** She said to them. **(Forgive me… I only did what I could. It was the only way to save you…)** She looked up at David and stared at him hopefully. **(You saved my life… I was in so much pain… you and they risked everything to save me when you didn't have to. I didn't know how else to save you! What I've forced you all into cannot be amended, but I ask you to forgive me… I did not know how else to save you.)**

In that moment, he and the others forgave her. Xerneas was not perfect, she was not a deity; she was merely a Pokemon blessed with powers beyond any other. She only could do what she thought was best. She was benevolent yes, but even she made mistakes, even with the best of intentions.

David sighed and stroked Xerneas' muzzle softly, electing a gentle coo from the legendary. "We forgive you Xerneas…" He said.

" **I can't stay mad at the being who gave me a second chance with my beloved."** Lucy said, though there was still a faint growl of anger mixed in. **"Even if I'm still not pregnant, at least I still have David in my life."**

" **Here here…"** Sophia barked.

" **Ditto."** Karen yipped.

" **As long as I have you guys… I don't mind living forever."** Terrance said with a small chuckle.

 **(Together, forever, that is how it will be then!)** Lancelot said proudly.

They all went over to Xerneas and forgave her, and she accepted their apology.

For several minutes they all simply stood or sat near her, coming to terms with the fact that they were immortal, that they would all die if any of them died, and that they would all be together for the rest of their lives. After a while though, Xerneas stood up to her full height and looked down at them all with an intense stare. **(I have one final offer to make for you all.)** She stated, getting their attention. **(If you wish, I can share with you the memory of your final day… before you were each reborn together.)**

"Wait… you mean the day we died?" David asked. "That reminds me, how come I don't remember ever dying?"

 **(That is because you do remember it, but your minds reacted so harshly to it, that in order to prevent you from ever reliving or experiencing that moment, your minds preserved it as a nightmare. You do remember that day, but none of you wished to relive or remember it whenever you dreamed. You would have noticed it by now, but you only remember it partly, the rest becomes blurred before you could reach the conclusion.)**

 **(Yes… we do understand.)** Lancelot said, to which everyone else nodded in agreement.

 **(If you all wish, I can show you the memory… but this is your choice… you don't need to remember that moment if you do not wish.)**

Everyone glanced at one another, all of them silently asking each other the same question, and each gave their answer with only a nod. "Show us…" David said, speaking for all of them.

He was apprehensive about seeing himself die in a memory, but he wanted to know what happened.

He had to know, how he died.

Xerneas nodded and her eyes began to glow, and as they stared into her eyes their vision began to fade into darkness as they began to collapse one by one to the ground.

 **(I offered you the choice, remember that… now my master and his friends, remember the day you were reborn… the day you drew your final and took your first breaths.)**

=The Nightmare=

(David's PoV)

 _David recalled Lancelot into the safety of his Pokeball, taking a sigh of relief that the battle had finally ended. Lysandre's Gyarados had been on the verge of winning, had Sophia not used her charm to weaken it greatly and managed to increase the strength of her fur with Cotton Guard, it would have ended long ago. But not just Sophia, every member of his team, including the newly added Xerneas, fought their hardest._

 _He could not have been more proud of them, but congratulations would have to wait, now they had to deal with the beaten Flare Boss. He had much to answer for._

 _There was silence after Lysandre's lost, before he took a deep breath._

"Whaugh!" _He screamed in a furious rage, the strange devices he had strapped to his back gaining new life as they rose into the air behind him, buzzing as their wings fluttered to keep them aloft._

"Um… Know what I think?" _Shauna said nervously, very hesitant to speak to the defeated Team Flare Leader._ "Even if there's only a little bit of something, it's still best to share it. Even you managed to use Mega Evolution… That's because Gyarados shared its power with you, didn't it? And not just Gyarados, but you're other Pokémon, too…"

 _Lysandre was silent as he was addressed, to David he appeared to be in a trance, as if he were deaf to the whole world around him._

"The Legendary Pokemon is gone, so you can't use the ultimate weapon anymore, right?" _Serena said confidently, but as she spoke a small glimmer of understanding and pity crossed her face._ "You don't have to worry about the future all by yourself… I think everyone should work together to make a better, beautiful world…"

"If that were possible, all wars would have ended long ago!" _Lysandre said, but his voice sounded like it came from a distance, as if a corpse were speaking them._ "I can only see one future! One where selfish, foolish humans think about nothing other than themselves and steal more and more from one another… it's a tragic future!"

 _Lysandre glanced at the mechanical glove he wore, and as he did David had a bad feeling, a sense of foreboding._

"The original purpose of this device was to bring a Pokemon back to life. But the ancient king transformed it into the ultimate weapon… Hmm." _He said, and once again the way Lysandre was staring at that glove gave David the idea that he was planning something._ "When the legendary Pokemon awakened, it took back much of its energy- its power- that had been sent to the ultimate weapon. There's not much power left… But there IS enough to use it once…"

 _Lysandre glared angrily at the ceiling as he raised the gloved hand high into the air, and spoke with the voice of a man determined to follow his convictions to the bitter end._ "David, Sycamore's pupils… Let us live forever… That's right! I shall grant you eternal life!" _He yelled defiantly._ "I'll give you the pain of endlessly waiting for a beautiful world to finally be built!"

 _As he finished they all realized what he was planning, he was planning to fire the ultimate weapon, whether or not it could fire properly or safely._ "David! Shauna! Let's get out of here!" _Serena yelled instantly, taking the lead to the exit._

 _Shauna was right behind her, and David behind them, but as he ran through the door he glanced back at Lysandre, still standing as if none of them were running. All he could think was how such a man could have fallen so far, he had the will and the power to affect change, but now he looked like a man who was so dead set on his path, that he would rather unleash Armageddon on a small group of trainers, because they didn't believe in his vision._

 _Still he had other things to worry about as they ran up the staircase, fleeing past flare members who were rushing down to the basement to see what was going on. Around them the facility began to shake and then the sounds of metal bending and creaking from far below could be heard._

 _*I don't think the weapon can fire properly with what little energy it has!*_ _David thought as they ran up faster. *I think Lysandre's pushing this thing to its limit, and it can't take the strain!*_

 _Then about three quarters of the way up the staircase, the bolted walls of the metal corridor began to tremble slightly, and a slight bulge began to appear. They all saw it at once, and instantly ducked to avoid as the metal of the wall burst forward, breaking under the strain of the ultimate weapon preparing to fire._

 _Several dings and clangs sounded as bolts and nuts flew past them, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest, but he was too worried about escaping to pay attention to it. *I think I got scratched… but I can worry about a scratch after we get out of here alive!*_ _He thought to himself as they picked up their pace._

 _Minutes later they reached the elevator to the surface, and Serena punched in the command to go up, and after a few seconds they ran out into the night on the outskirts of Geosenge Town._

 _Just after they reached a safe distance, they watched as the ultimate weapon bloomed fully, and fired its first and only blast of energy into the sky. The blast came soaring back down, and smacked right into the ultimate weapon, and before their eyes it began to fall back into the ground it bloomed from, being buried under a heap of rubble and boulders. Never again to awaken or see the light of day._

 _For several more minutes, David and the gang congratulated each other for a job well done, but as they spoke he felt a sharp pain in his chest with each word he spoke, so he left the talking to the others. Eventually they all went their separate ways, but Serena thanked David before she left, saying she had so much respect for him as a friend. That because of that respect, she wanted to beat him even more as a rival, before leaving with a smile and a wave of her hand._

 _Even AZ, the three thousand year old king and builder of the ultimate weapon, made a small appearance, mostly rambling to himself, but David could hear the relief in his voice as he stared at the destroyed ultimate weapon. As he left, David decided it was time to move on, and was making his way to Route 11, when the pain in his chest finally started getting to him._

"So… hard to… breathe…" _David gasped as he tried to walk, but began staggering into the woods, unable figure out why he was in so much pain._ "My chest… hurts so much!"

 _Out of instinct he held the part of his chest that was in pain, and felt a sudden wetness that shouldn't have been there, that a part of his mind was screaming didn't belong there. He pulled his hand away and stared at a dark liquid clinging and dripping from his palm, a liquid that he knew was not water, or anything like water._

 _It was far too red, far too dark, and the longer he stared the more disbelief was etched onto his face._

 _Comprehension dawned as he realized what he was staring at, and how that liquid had gotten through his clothes and onto his hand._

 _He was bleeding!_

 _Nobody noticed that he was bleeding, and how would they? He was wearing a dark red jacket with light blue jeans and matching hat and shoes because they was the last clean clothes he had to wear that day, before Lysandre declared that he would destroy the world that morning over the Holo Caster. He had been so caught up in the rush to stop Team Flare that he hadn't gone to the laundromat that day after beating Olympia for his seventh badge._

"Just… my luck…" _David whispered as he collapsed against a tree, unable to muster the strength to keep walking._ "The one day… I decide to wear red… is the day I get injured."

 _Somehow, he didn't know how, but somewhere in the back of his mind, David knew that he wasn't going to live. It wasn't his mind telling him that something was off, it was his instincts telling him. Something about the way he was gasping, the way his voice sounded with each breath he took, didn't sound right, as if they were the only sounds one made…_

 _When they were about to die._

"I can't… believe this is how it ends." _He thought to himself as he reached down to his team's Pokeballs, wanting to see them one final time before his vision faded to black._ "We saved the world… stopped Team Flare and Lysandre from destroying it… and saved Xerneas. I guess… I can be proud… of what I've done in life!"

 _As he grabbed his team, he put three on each side, unable to tell who was who with how little strength he had, and placed a finger on each of their release mechanisms, before releasing them all at once._

 _Instantly six brilliant flashes of light appeared, and his team of Pokemon materialized right before his eyes, all of them tired after the battles they had that day, but proud and strong as ever. Yet once they saw him, their proud expressions changed to confusion and worry, all except Xerneas who was watching with curiosity._

(Multi Pokemon PoV)

 _[Unwavering Heart – Pokemon X/Y]_

 _They all looked down at their trainer, and even in the minimal light of the night sky, they could see instantly that something was wrong. They had expected to be released in the Pokemon Center, amid cheers and applause, or even at an expensive café or restaurant to reward them for just saving the world and stopping Team Flare's mad scheme. Yet the moment they saw their trainer lying on the ground, alone in the woods, they knew something had gone terribly wrong._

" **Master!"** _They all shouted one after another, and rushed to his side to see what was wrong._

"Hey guys… we did it… we saved the world!" _David said with a raspy voice, as if each syllable was costing him extremely._ "But it… doesn't look like… I'll be joining in… celebrating with you."

" **What's wrong with you?"** _Karen asked, taking his hand in her paws and trying to find something wrong with him._

 _Lancelot however could see what was wrong, his ability to see auras showed him that his master's aura was getting weaker and weaker. With each passing second its strength diminished and its size shrank. He saw inside of his aura, a hole, a small black hole of nothingness in the shape of something human made. If he remembered correctly, the object was called a 'screw', something humans used to construct their buildings of metal and glass and bind them together with its sister material called a 'bolt'._

 _It was lodged inside of him, and as he watched it was ever so quickly draining his aura into its nothingness, as if it were sucking the life out of him._

 _He knew instantly what was wrong, his master, his friend and Mega Partner was dying before their very eyes._

" **Dear Arceus, he's bleeding!"** _Sophia barked as she picked up her paw to reveal it dripping with drops of blood._ **"We need to get him to a Pokemon Center and fast!"** _She had been to Pokemon Centers for so many injuries, and each time they had treated her to peak condition, surely they could heal her master._

" **You idiot, they only treat Pokemon, not humans!"** _Lucy yelled frantically._ **"Where do humans get healed?"** _She was getting hysteric, her beloved human was lying there bleeding, but in all of their journeys he had not been so injured as to need medical attention that a First Aid Kit couldn't treat. Yet this injury looked serious, and the only one who knew how to treat injuries was David._

" **I don't know!'** _Karen said, looking around as if trying to find something._ **"How do we stop the bleeding, there's got to be a way! A berry, a potion, something!"** _In all of her time with her Original Trainer as his starter, he had taken care of them, from sprained legs to bad burns, frozen limbs to suffering poison, he had always healed and cared for them. Yet now it was the reverse, he was the one badly injured, and they didn't know the first thing about healing a human!_

" **Maybe if I used Sing I could get someone to help us!"** _Terrance suggested quickly, not knowing what else to do because David was always the one who knew what to do in any situation._

" **You idiot, that will just put everyone to sleep!"** _Lucy yelled angrily._

 _Lancelot however, knew it was too late, he could see it in the aura. Even the look in their Trainer's eyes told him, he hadn't brought them out to save him._

 _He had brought them out, to say goodbye._

"Listen guys… I know you're probably… trying to help me but…" _David started saying before he started to cough badly, and this time he coughed up blood from his mouth and onto his hand._ "But… you need to worry about… other things now."

" **No, don't talk David!"** Lucy said, addressing him by name because she considered him an equal, not superior or inferior. **"Conserve your strength, we'll find help and you'll be good as new in no time!"**

 _David glanced at the Absol, and smiled warmly at her._ "Lucy… I wish I could hear what you're saying… without Lancelot having to translate… everything you say… after you've said it…" _He whispered hoarsely._ "I don't have… much time… barely able to talk right now… I need to say what I have to say… now… while I still can."

" **No, you can't die!"** Karen screamed in fear. **"You can't die on us Master, what about the Pokemon League, what about our eighth badge? We can't do it without you!"**

" **She's right, you can't just leave us!"** Sophia barked desperately. **"What about Lancelot, he can't Mega Evolve without you, and we can't challenge the league without you!"**

" **Yes, you can't die because you promised us!"** Terrance yelled fearfully. **"You promised you'd show me the world, the other regions besides Kalos. You said we'd see the world together, you can't just break your promise like this!"**

 _David started breathing slowly, but he smiled at each of them just as warmly as he ever did, as if they were talking about who would get first dibs for dinner._ "I know… we should have gone further… but it seems… that isn't how it's going to be." _He said, and his face showed that he was ignoring the pain each word was causing him, so that he could say what he had to say._ "You guys are family to me… more than just friends… I'm so happy that… I met you all when I did. And that we got… to go on this journey together!"

 _He looked at Karen first, focusing on the Braixen as she held his hand tightly, hoping that if she held on so tight that he would lay there forever, and then somehow someone would find them and be able to help him._

"Karen… my Braixen… you've been with me since… I first became a Trainer." _He whispered, but in the quiet of the night his whisper was as loud as a shout to them._ "You looked so happy being a Braixen, that when we saw Serena's… Frogodier evolve… you weren't as excited about evolving again. So I never… pushed you or wanted you… to change… who you were or what… you were!" _He breathed heavily before he squeezed her paws with his hand, to show that he was still there._ "Don't ever change… who you are… because who we are tells us what you are… no evolution phase will ever change that. But you don't have… to change just to be better… just change who you are… on the inside… and everyone will accept you… no matter what you look like… on the outside."

 _He took a deep breath and a pained expression crossed his face, but he still looked proudly at Karen._ "Karen is Karen… whether she stays a Braixen, or becomes a Delphox… but if you love being who you are… than stay who you are… if you want to stay a Braixen for the rest of your life… then do it… remember that Karen, don't let… anyone tell you… what to be… only you can tell 'you' that."

" **I will master…"** _Karen whispered tearfully as she leaned her face in his hand, clutching it with all her might._ **"I will never… change who I am… I'll be a Braixen forever… and burn whoever tells me otherwise!"** _How she wished she could speak in a language he would understand, all she could do to communicate how she felt was by gripping his hand as tightly as her paws could._

 _As he finished speaking to Karen he turned to Lucy the Absol, who was crying endlessly as she watched him die before her eyes, unable to control her tears._ "Lucy… I wish I could have had… more time to understand your feelings for me." _He whispered to her, and she hung on his every word._ "Lancelot told me… about your crush… on me. You know I can't return your feelings… because I'm your trainer… but still… if time had permitted… maybe I could have learned to respond to your feelings. Who knows… perhaps in the future… a relationship like that… would have been accepted?" _He reached out and rubbed the fur that hung down the right side of her face, and scratched her as best he could for the last time, trying to offer her some comfort._ "But no matter what… be true to your heart… otherwise life… isn't worth living for!"

 _Lucy cried even harder as he let his hand fall away from her fur, and she wanted nothing more than to join him in death, just so they could be together!_ **"I will!"** _She screamed sadly._ **"I will David, I'll never love another like you! You'll be the only one I ever will love!"**

 _David gasped in pain as he took another breath, and stared at Sophia, his Furfrou friend._ "Sophia… just because you were a stray… living a desperate life… doesn't mean you are any less important than anyone else in this world." _He whispered to her._ "Everyone might look down at you for being unprivileged… but they don't understand what you had… to live through! So you've got to show them… show them that you are not what… they think you are. Otherwise… people will always look down on you… and nobody will… treat you better."

 _Sophia moaned as she nuzzled the side of her Trainer, ignoring the blood that was staining her white fur._ **"I will… I'll become so civilized that everyone will think I was born to a king!"** _She whispered, determined to remember his words and learn to talk just like everyone in Lumiose did._

 _David sighed and looked at Terrance, his Lapras._ "Terrance, you were always… an odd one when it came to Lapras as a… species." _He whispered to the Lapras as he leaned closer to hear his every word, noticing that they were getting fainter with each talk._ "I wish I could have… shown you the world… like I promised… but at least… we had a lot of fun here… in Kalos… didn't we? We don't need to see the world… to have adventures… or create fun memories."

" **Yes we did David… that's why I wanted you to show me the world!"** _Terrance moaned, letting his tears fall onto David's chest, unable to stop them from flowing._ **"So we could have more memories… more adventures… and more fun times!"** _It didn't matter if the world was out there, if he didn't have his friend and companion to share those times with, then the world was nothing but a waste of space to him._

 _David chuckled hoarsely, and coughed even harder, coughing up even more blood, but he still looked to his left as Lancelot leaned down and knelt before him, his pawed hands shaking as he silently cursed at his weakness._ "Lancelot… I never told you why I gave you your name." He whispered. "I gave you your name because… from the moment we became partners… I always knew that your… species was known for great loyalty. From that moment on… I wanted to give you a name that you would like… and you would be proud to be known as… I just wish… that our time together didn't… end this way." _He stared into the Mega Pokemon on his team, and held his arm up, showing the Mega Ring strapped to his wrist._ "It was an honor… being your Mega Evolution Partner… for as long as we were… partners… Lancelot. Remember… you saved all of Kalos… hold your head up high… and be proud of what you've done! We saved more lives in one day… than most do in their life time."

 _Lancelot nodded shakily, and tapped its stone with the Mega Stone bracelet he wore, which mirrored his master's Mega Ring Bracelet because he preferred that over the necklaces or headbands that other Mega Pokemon wore._ **"I am proud… I'm so proud that we became friends… and partners!"** _He said, unable to focus past his misery to use his telepathy to speak._ **"I'm proud to be called Lancelot… I'm proud that I met you that day, and I've never been so proud to call you my master!"**

 _Outside he spoke of how proud he was, but inside Lancelot was beating himself up. For all his power, for all of his speed, for all the strength and glory he had being David's Mega Pokemon, he couldn't protect his trainer from a tiny piece of metal. He could smash a boulder into pebbles, but this tiny little screw was killing his human partner, and it didn't even care that it was taking not only his Mega Evolution partner, but also Lucy's love, Karen's companion, Sophia's teacher, and Terrance's guide in the world._

 _How could this world be so cruel, that it would let a young eleven year old boy, just die all alone in the woods?_

 _Their trainer smiled and chuckled, before suddenly the strain finally got to him and he had a fierce coughing fit, spitting out more blood then spit, and collapsing onto his back._ **"David!"** _They all screamed, and Lancelot quickly leaned against his chest to listen to his heart, not wanting to see his ever fading aura._

 _He listened carefully, and heard his heart beating, ever so slowly, and getting slower with each beat._ **"His heart's failing!"** _Lancelot shouted as he looked up at them all_. **"He's not going to last much longer!"**

" **There has to be something we can do!"** _Lucy screamed frantically._ **"Think, there has to be some way to save him!"**

" **We'd need to remove the screw lodged in his lungs first, but none of us have limbs or anything to do something that delicate without causing more harm!"** _Lancelot shouted, and this was very true._

 _Between them only Karen's paws were thin and nimble enough, but her clawed fingers were too short to do the job without causing further harm._

" **We can't just let him die without trying, there has to be SOME WAY!"** _Karen yelled, tears streaking down her face and evaporating on contact with her fur._

 _As they stared hopelessly at their trainer, lying on the ground and drowning in his own blood, they all came up with the same solution at the same time. Behind them, standing nine feet tall and nervously pawing at the dirt with her long slender legs, was the only Pokemon that could possibly save their friend._

 _Xerneas, the Life Pokemon._

" **Xerneas!"** _Karen yelled first, rushing to the legendary they had just saved from Team Flare._ **"Save him, save our trainer! Use your power and save his life!"**

 _She stared at them all before staring at the trainer who had risked everything to save her and the world. But she could see that it would not work._ **(I cannot…)** _She whispered sadly._

" **What do you mean you can't?"** _Lucy yelled angrily, her tears flowing freely._ **"He saved your life, we saved this world! How can you just let him die like this?"**

 **(I cannot stop that which is fated to happen, his body is already fading, soon he will be lifeless and there is nothing I can do to reverse it!)** _She said._ **(Even if I poured eternal life into his body, he has lost too much of his life force to sustain his body. If perhaps he had called me out sooner, I might have been able to save him, but as it is now it is far too late.)** _She looked at them all now, and her eyes spoke that she wished it weren't so._ **(Without his life force his life will end, I cannot extend that which is now destined to end.)**

" **Then take my life force!"** _Lucy screamed._ **"Take my life and give it to him! If I can't live in the same world as the human I love, then I don't want to live another day! If you can save him that way then I'll gladly give up my own life force energy to sustain his!"** _She ran forward and pleaded hopefully, trying to cling to whatever ray of hope there might be._ **"Absol's live for a hundred years, Humans live on average sixty. I'm only sixteen years old by human years, he can have my remaining years if that's what it will take!"**

" **No, take mine!"** _Karen snapped angrily, shoving Lucy out of the way._ **"I'm the starter, so I get first dibs when it comes to saving his life! Give him my life force, that way Lucy can stay with him!"**

" **No, if anyone is to be sacrificed it's me!"** _Sophia barked, shoving Karen aside now._ **"I'm the weakest one here, he can easily do without me. I'm not the strongest on this team, but perhaps my life force will be enough to save him."**

" **If strength is needed then my life force is more than enough!"** _Lancelot said, ripping his Mega Stone off and pulling all three of the girls back to stand before the legendary._ **"I'm the strongest member on this team, and he is my Mega Evolution Partner! If any of us should give their life, it should be the one who is closest to him in spirit, and who relies on his strength to Mega Evolve!"** _He put his paw on his chest and knelt before Xerneas._ **"Give him my life force energy, that way I can sustain his life even after I die, and it will simply be me going beyond Mega Evolution!"**

" **I should be the one."** _Terrance said, leaning his head over Lancelot so he could talk face to face with Xerneas._ **"I'm the largest one here, perhaps my size means more life force energy than any of the others. The more he has the better chance to survive!"**

 _Xerneas stared at them all, awed by how far this team was willing to go, just to try and save their trainer from the brink of death, willing to give their own lives if it would but give him another day. This was when she came up with an idea, but they would have to move fast, for her new trainer's life force was already in its final stages of leaving his body._

 **(We haven't much time… there is no way I would willingly give him your life energy just to save him, he cares about you all too much to want that!)** _She said, and silenced them all before they could object._ **(However, if I move fast, I can perhaps keep his soul from entering the void!)**

" **His soul?"** _Karen asked as Xerneas walked past them and over to David, who was gasping faintly for air and whose eyes seemed clouded, like they couldn't see anything properly._

 **(Yes… his body is too far gone to save, but his soul is still clinging to this world!)** _She whispered as she knelt down so that she could prepare herself._ **(If I can bind his soul to mine, then he will go through the same process I go through when my life force energy ends. He will be reborn into a new body, and live a new life. He will not remember what happened in his past life, except what few dreams he can carry over.)**

" **Well what about us then?"** _Sophia barked hopefully._ **"What will happen to us? I don't want to live life without my darling master, I endured life in the wild once, and I'm never going back to it again. And I'm not listening to another trainer after being with David for so long!"**

" **Same here, I'd rather die than live without David in my life!"** _Lucy said._ **"If he lives but doesn't remember me, then I don't want that either!"**

" **We all won't live another day if our trainer dies and we have to live without him!"** _Karen said, and both Lancelot and Terrance nodded in agreement._ **"It's either we have David with us or we join him in death!"**

 _Xerneas thought quickly and decided that they were telling the truth. If she bound his soul to her and entered a pact with him, so that she could save him, they would indeed kill themselves because he didn't remember them. So she came up with an alternative on the spot, but it was an alternative that she didn't know the outcome of, but at the least it would appeal to all of them and save their trainer._

 _But she knew they would not like it when they learned it in detail, but that could wait, right now her new trainer and rescuer was mere minutes from passing into the void._

 **(Very well, then all of you come here, and place one limb on some part of his body!)** _She ordered._ **(I will bind all of your souls to his, and you too shall share in his pact with me!)**

" **Say what now?"** _Terrance asked, but Lancelot, Karen, and Lucy silenced him by obeying._

" **Just do what she says if it means we can save him!"** _Karen yelled._

 _As soon as they were in position, with each of them placing a paw, a fin, or a clawed hand on David's hands and sides, Xerneas began to bind her trainer's soul to her own, anchoring it to something living so that it would not enter the void when his body died. As she did she started binding the souls of his team to his, so that they too would share in the pact._

 **(Your souls are starting to merge with his… soon you will feel his pain, and your bodies will suffer as he suffers… endure it for now. When it is finished your bodies too shall begin to die alongside his.)** _She whispered, and sure enough she felt a stinging sensation as if her lungs were on fire._ **(He's fading too fast… I will need to borrow your life energy to keep him alive long enough to finish the task.)**

" **Do it!"** _Lancelot shouted painfully, ignoring the pain in his chest._

" **My chest hurts!"** _Karen yelled, clutching at her chest with her other paw._

" **Ugh… it hurts so much…"** _Lucy groaned in agony._

" **Hardly can breathe!"** _Sophia howled._

" **Endure it… just endure it!"** _Terrance said, showing intense pain on his face as he tried to ignore it._

 _Within seconds their life forces began to merge, and she felt their souls starting to grasp one another, but still David's body was fading fast, and with each passing second their life force energies were being drained just to sustain his a little more. If she didn't hurry he would die before she could complete the pact and save his soul._

 _They had been rushed, the pact created before it could clearly be defined, what she had done was something that should have been discussed carefully and slowly. It had been forced recklessly, and this she knew would not be acceptable._

 _Yet it was necessary, it was the only option they were willing to accept._

 _They would all die together, and be reborn together, so that they could remain together._

 **(Just a little more… just hold on a little more!)** _She said, feeling his soul being bound to hers at last, and through his she felt the others souls being bound to his._ **(There… focus now… think as clearly as you can and remember what it is that makes him special to you all! Now that you're souls are bound to his soul, you will share the same fate as him, you too shall be reborn once you all take your final breath. Whatever memories you can will be remembered in the next life, when you are reborn. So think as clearly as you can before your bodies' life force vanish.)**

 _So they all thought through the pain and gasps for breath. Karen remembered the day she became David's starter, Sophia remembered the day she tried to steal their food, Lancelot thought about the day he first saw David's aura, Lucy recalled the day she ran into David and his team, and Terrance remembered the day he finally left that dinky river to travel. They all remembered their happiest days, the times when they laughed, smiled, chuckled, or had glorious moments in a Pokemon battle. They remembered their battles with Team Flare, random trainers, Serena's team, anything else they could as clearly as possible._

 _Then, as if they knew what was happening, they all collapsed to the ground, unable to stand or hold their head up properly while their breathing became less and less._

 _They all glanced at one another, and silently nodded, trying to tell each other not to be afraid of death, trusting Xerneas' word that they would be reborn. That together they would be revived with their Trainer, and that they would find one another and be reunited with each other._

" **Don't worry… guys…"** _Karen whispered quietly, trying to keep her eyes open, but with each second her vision became cloudy and less focused._ **"I'm right… beside you… all of you… we're all in this… together!"**

" **Yea… you… me… all of us… including David!"** _Lucy whispered, shifting her focus to glance at David's face as his chest began to rise ever less frequently._ **"Don't worry love… I'll find you… in the next life… so wait for me…"**

" **Yes… just wait for us master…"** _Lancelot gasped, hoping their trainer could hear their words._ **"I will find you… I will search all of Kalos… if I must… to find you!"**

" **Just hang in there darling… you still have to teach me… proper dinner manners… and etiquette."** _Sophia whispered._ **"So when you find me… you better know how… to teach me… properly."**

" **Yea… as you… said David…"** _Terrance whispered, losing his focus and starting to feel his strength leaving him._ **"This is just… one more… journey… that we… will take… together…"** _He leaned his head as close to his friend's as he could, the friend that he had come to respect and care about._ **"Don't worry guys… I'll see you all… on the other side…"**

 _With that they lost all their remaining strength, and simply closed their eyes, waiting for their hearts to finally stop beating._

 _Xerneas watched them all breathing in sync with their beloved Trainer, their chests slowly rising and falling with his, each of them with a look of content written on their faces. They could not have looked any different than they would have if they were simply going to sleep for the night._

 _Then she watched as their chests rose and fell, for the last time._

 _She sighed in sadness as she rose to her full height, and stared at the lifeless bodies lying before her, empty vessels for the souls that, even now, were being reborn across Kalos. She couldn't control where their souls would be reborn, but at least she ensured that they all were reborn together._ **(Now… to wait… and search for the center of our pact.)** _She whispered to herself, before eyeing the Masterball lying on the ground, as well as David's Mega Ring, and Lancelot's Mega Stone bracelet._ **(You do not need those anymore.)** _She said to the bodies, using her powers to gather the items together and hang them from her horns._ **(I will now find a place to hide them, and there I shall hide myself… to guard over and wait, until the day comes where we are together once more.)**

 _She turned and started walking away, knocking over trees with the blades on the tips of her legs so that someone would find the bodies of Kalos' rescuers. So that their bodies would receive the proper burial that they deserved._

As the memory ended, everything began to fade away, and they woke up back into the lake chamber of their pack's den.

(David's PoV)

He looked up at his team, and guessed they all just saw the same dream he did. "So that was how…"

" **Yea… I guess so…"** Lucy replied wearily, walking over to him.

 **(Looks like we kept our promise to each other…)** Lancelot said calmly. **(We found each other…)**

" **I don't mind the bumps in the road… but man that was one heck of a road…"** Karen said.

" **Indeed… next time we hire a taxi."** Sophia barked.

" **Ditto…"** Terrance said. **"As long as you're paying…"**

Then after a few seconds of hearing Sophia's comment about taking a taxi, they all busted out laughing.

All David could think of as he fell to the ground unable to contain his laughter which was affecting the others now, was how happy he was to have had his team with him.

They were together, even though they had not completed their journey to the Pokemon League, they were together at least. They were a family again.

 **(By the way…)** Lancelot said through his giggles. **(Do you still have my Mega Stone and the Mega Ring?)**

 **(Indeed I do, it is buried where Lucy found me.)** Xerneas said. **(I will fetch it, and when I come back to live among you, you can help introduce me to your pack.)**

"Wait what, you want to join our pack?" David asked.

 **(Of course… now that we are together, we cannot easily separate.)** She said instantly. **(I hope you have a space big enough for me, otherwise I will have to make my own space to live down here.)**

They all stared at Xerneas before they nodded in understanding, she was speaking the truth. They had to stay together now that they had found each other.

"Very well then Xerneas… welcome to pack David!"


	22. Author's Note 4

=Author's Notes=

Woooo, what a tough chapter that last one was, packing so much motion into 11k words is not an easy feet mind you. But enough of my troubles, leme just say hi to all of my fans out there in Fanfiction land, and leme just say thank you to ALL who have reviewed thus far.

Since I've been asked this a few times, why not respond to a few reviews.

Umari, thanks for telling me that you actually got a tear from reading my fic, I tried my best to make sure that the story was as emotional as possible, as do others who commented that they were moved by that particular chapter.

Also, who should be the next lemon, it's been a while since David's had some 'fun', so who do you all think should go next, should it be someone new, got a poke request, or should we go back to our favorite girls Lucy and Sophia? Review who you want to see next.

Or perhaps we all know who should go next :D?

In any case, speaking of my characters, who would you say is 'your' favorite one so far?

Also… we haven't finished with the rival yet, Serena still has a part to play in my tale… so be prepared… because the successor to David 'Calem' has one more battle left in her!


	23. Chapter 19

_*How one lives their life, says how life treated them…*_

 _*You lived one life one way my friend…*_

 _*How will you live this second life I wonder?*_

=Chapter 19, The Pre-Winter Season=

=Answering Insults=

(Lancelot's PoV)

" **I'm not saying that he has to defend himself from now on Karen, but I am saying that if 'we' can't protect him at certain times, he should be able to protect himself… to a certain degree at the very least!"** Lancelot argued with the Braixen, yet again as they walked through the underground tunnels connecting their den's various chambers together.

" **And I'm saying you're an idiot!"** Karen yelled defiantly. **"He's got two powerhouses like us protecting him twenty four seven, and he's got the Twins acting as his bodyguards as well. Even if they don't get any action, which means almost nothing is ganna get through to him. So why are we wasting his time and energy learning self-defense if we're always going to protect him?"**

It's been a whole week since Xerneas joined Pack David, and since then the pack has learned of David and his team's relationship to the legendary. She's even explained to them of their immortality, in relation to their pact with her, and for the most part they have accepted the knowledge that their pack now has an immortal leader. A few members of the pack expressed their opinions that they didn't like the idea of having a leader that would never die with age, but after the foragers returned from their first trip to Xerneas' grove with a huge pile of food, enough to feed the pack for a month, any further opinions were quickly silenced.

When Xerneas herself was introduced to the pack, she was quickly welcomed with awes of amazement. However she declared that she would accept no higher a position than that of an ordinary member, and because of her power, as well as sheer size, she became one of the pack's many guards, protecting the foragers from threats. Though because she was so powerful, she was able to protect groups of fifteen foragers and higher all by herself, leaving David and Lucy to divert other guards to other duties, namely protecting their borders and keeping their den safe from intruders.

After Xerneas' first return from her trip to her grove, she returned the items that David and Lancelot previously owned in their first life, namely their Mega Ring and Mega Stone, as well as her Master Ball that once housed her. He had offered to destroy it, thus freeing the legendary from being tied to him, but she refused, saying that because of their pact, they were already tied to one another far more intimately compared to the Pokeball.

She also had made herself a new space in the den, close by the lake chamber. Unfortunately because of her size they didn't have any chambers large enough to accommodate her needs, so she created her own chamber, and with the help of certain members of the pack who were capable of doing so, carved a new chamber for herself roughly forty feet large in any direction. It was large enough that with her powers she even had a miniature grove growing there, but without trees. She had made a declaration that, without her permission, or permission of the leader, nobody else was allowed to visit her.

As for what David and the others in their group had been doing, since then Lucy and Sophia have lost much of their anger towards the legendary for preventing them from having pups, but Lucy said she was still determined to have his first pup. Terrance had resumed his normal duties in protecting the waterways, and being a storyteller for the pups and other members of the pack.

Lancelot had started teaching David how to protect himself when he had spare time, showing him how to use various items such a sticks and even his own hands and feet to defend himself. The Lucario was pleased to say that because of his many travels without Karen, he had learned a few self-defense lessons that humans mastered from various martial artists. Karen however took it as an insult to her ability to protect their master, it was something she insisted that he didn't need.

Which is precisely why the two of them were arguing still.

" **Look Karen, he's just learning to protect himself, what is the harm in keeping him safe?"** Lancelot asked the Braixen, knowing all too well how she acted when she got in the mood.

" **I think you just don't count on me being able to keep him safe!"** Karen shot back at him. **"It's because of that one time where I faced Scar wasn't it?"**

Lancelot sigh as he shook his head, knowing she always gets hotheaded when she gets angry.

" **I can feel your frustration at me Lance."** Karen said with a chuckle. **"Oh I don't care what Xerneas was thinking when she made this pact, just feeling you being ticked at me is a laugh in its own right!"**

" **If you know of my frustration, why do you torment me so?"** Lancelot asked her under his breath as they entered the lake chamber.

" **For the giggles!"** Karen said with another chuckle.

They entered the lake chamber where currently David was having a discussion with one of the Mightyenas of the pack, a rash but very intimidating wolf called Fang. He was called 'Fang' because he, out of all the Mightyena in the pack, knew every one of the various 'Fang' moves that his species could learn. This particular Mightyena was the current ring leader of a group of members, mostly Mightyena and even a few Houndours and one Houndoom, which felt that their leader was showing far too much weakness and restraint. They were all of the opinion that, while David was a better 'Leader' in terms of leading the pack, he was a 'weaker' leader compared to Scar.

Lancelot could feel his master's frustration while talking to the Mightyena, for the past few days he's heard rumors and gossip from various members that Fang might be considering attacking him. So instead of letting him and Karen deal with the Bite Pokemon, David had chosen a more direct route, and had confronted him to talk to the hound. The only guards he had with him were the Twins, as he had requested the two of them to stay out of the talk, fearing that their presence might inspire more fear than respect.

However, by the way his master was talking, as well as feeling, the discussions weren't going very well. **"Doesn't look like it's going to end well is it?"** Karen said as they watched their trainer say something, and then Fang growl back his response.

" **Nope, but we must let David deal with this his way."** Lancelot said, taking a seat off to the side and watching them talk. **"He is our leader, in more ways than just name. We must obey his words."**

" **You really take that loyalty thing seriously huh?"** Karen asked with a grin.

" **If we are not loyal, how can we be trusted?"** Lancelot replied.

(David's PoV)

"For the last time Fang, I have my reasons for surrendering those berry trees to Pack Logan." David said, his frustration growing with each second as he tried to reason with the stubborn Mightyena. "Besides, thanks to the food we're harvesting from Xerneas' grove, we have enough food to sustain us through winter. So why are you so insistent on us retaking those trees by force?"

" **Because they are OURS!"** The Mightyena growled back for the seventh time. **"You should have contested them, like a true leader should have! But no, what you did was reveal your weakness before our enemies and rivals. We have our territory through the strength of our fangs and claws, but you surrender it without even so much as a fight! That is a weakness that makes our pack weak!"**

David sighed, and really despised this Mightyena, but he could not blame him. Mightyena respect strength and admire battle prowess, and operate under the mentality of a pack. Since he chose to talk and surrender the territories without a fight, Fang and the others of the pack saw it as a sign of weakness.

More importantly, a sign of 'his' weakness.

"Look Fang, I admire your bravery, and your ferocity in combat is worthy of respect." He said. "But to be blunt, I made the decision for the sake of our pack, and if anyone questions what I do, then they need only talk to me and I will answer their questions. If we had gone to war to contest those berry trees, we would have had to fight Pack Logan and their members…"

" **A battle that we should have fought!"** Fang yelled, bearing his fangs and even preparing them for a fight by dripping his 'canines' in poison that he was creating. **"You are a weak leader, and if it weren't for your numerous guards I would strike you down and challenge you for leadership!"**

At his declaration there was silence all around the chamber, with everyone suddenly staring at their group. Nobody was even breathing with how quiet it was in the chamber, but at his last words the Twins ran forward on all fours, tails at edge and their ears flipped open in preparation for battle.

" **Leader, give us the word and we will strike him down for his insults!"** Nera growled.

"No, leave him be." David said calmly.

" **But leader, you must not let this insult against your leadership stand, you must respond to it!"** Yara responded in shock.

"I said leave him be." David said again. "He's just ignorant is all, he doesn't understand my reasons." He looked at Fang and shook his head. "If he doesn't understand why I gave up that section of our territory without a fight, then there's nothing I can do to get the message across. All he understands is force and strength, no amount of words will reach through his mindset and change his opinion."

 **(Then in that case, leave it to me…)** Lancelot said telepathically to him.

At his words David watched Lancelot leaving the lake chamber, and he felt what the Lucario was planning, and nodded in understanding. **"So now you back away from me?"** Fang roared in anger as David backed away from him. **"Are you so weak that you would even back away from your own pack members?"**

"I'm not backing away from you because I'm weak." David said, nodding his head over to the lake chamber entrance. "I'm backing up because I don't want to stand in my guard's way."

" **What?"** Fang growled as he looked over at the entrance and saw nothing.

Then about one minute later, the sound of heavy footsteps resounded in the quiet lake chamber, and almost seconds later Lancelot came running down and through the lake chamber at a speed that far surpassed any other Pokemon in the pack. He ran past David and Fang so fast that he was nothing but a blue and black blur. Then he continued and ran onto the very lake itself, and began running 'on' the water.

" **Wha…"** Fang stuttered as they watched Lancelot run across the water, to the opposite wall, up it halfway, and then pushed off with all of his might.

" **SHOW OFF!"** Karen yelled from somewhere behind David.

As he soared toward them he drew back his fist in preparation for a Power Up Punch, and proceeded to plunge it toward the ground, directly in front of David and Fang, shaking the ground as he created a crater in it. After a few seconds of everyone just staring in amazement, he stood up, looked over at Fang, and walked over to the wide eyed and open mouthed Mightyena.

" **You want to know what we would have fought over."** Lancelot said to Fang, thrusting his arm forward and holding out something he was clutching. **"Here's what we would have fought over!"** He opened his paws and showed a clump of rock and soil, shattered into small pieces from his attack. **"You would have had our leader sacrifice the lives of our pack's members for this? Dirt and trees, 'things' that can be found anywhere?"**

Lancelot dropped the dirt, and nodded to David, indicating that he had spoken all that he needed to, and followed beside him as they left Fang behind in the lake chamber, speechless and in shock along with the rest of the pack that were there.

"Was that really necessary?" David asked the Lucario as the Twins followed behind them with Karen bringing up the rear.

 **(As you said, he would not listen to reason with words, so a demonstration of force was needed to get the message across.)** Lancelot said as he began breathing heavily. **(But don't ask me to run across water again, that was not easy to do… and I needed a LOT of speed and space to make that happen. My legs feel like they've got Golems strapped to them…)**

"I won't, believe me." He said with a chuckle, holding his fist out to the Lucario. "But I will say this… nice way to shut him up…"

" **Anytime…"** Lancelot said as he fist bumped David's.

=Fang Understands=

(David's PoV)

"Yara, Nera, tell me… is there a way to talk to Fang and make him understand?" David asked his two advisors while inside of his chamber with Lucy and Sophia.

It's been two days since Lancelot silenced the Bite Pokemon, and for the most part, those who once thought like him had changed their opinions, especially after Lancelot's display. But Fang himself still considered David a weak leader for simply 'not' fighting, and it was still very clear that words and even actions weren't reaching him. So David, seeking an alternative method, chose to ask his advisors to try and find a solution.

" **Well leader, it is difficult to speak to Fang, he is very resolute in his ideas of a leader being strong in order to make the pack strong."** Nera said. **"He was one of those who approved of Scar's methods, while they weren't always welcomed they did demonstrate his strength to the pack."**

"Well then tell me, how 'would' Scar have dealt with an issue like this?" He asked the Twins.

" **You sure that's wise to ask darling?"** Sophia asked from her bed, playing with her squeaky toy by chewing on it. **"Scar isn't exactly the most shining of examples to follow."**

"Maybe, but if Fang respected Scar to the degree that he considered him a strong leader, then perhaps something Scar did might help me get through to Fang here." He said to his two Prime Mates.

" **Well, if Scar had to deal with an issue like this Leader…"** Yara said, glancing at his sister as he did. **"He had a few methods that silenced any Pokemon who questioned his rule. One, of course was immediate death, by his claws, which silenced any further opinions."**

"But barring that…"He said, indicating that he wasn't interested in that penalty.

" **Well, it depended on the species…"** Yara said thoughtfully. **"Since Fang is a Mightyena, Scar had two methods he often did to bring one of their kind in line, depending on the gender. The first involved fighting the Mightyena in question in battle, and after causing sufficient injuries, he spared the Mightyena's life, provided they didn't dare question him again. That is of course, if it's male."**

"Do I even 'want' to know what would happen if the Mightyena in question was female?" David asked, knowing Scar's 'MO' he doubted the method would be one he favored.

" **If the Mightyena was female, then Scar would forcefully mate with her, showing his position in the pack and silencing her questions."** Nera said, but she growled as she said so. **"Should the Mightyena be male, he could also forcefully mate with his mate, assuming he had one, and this would also demonstrate his position in the pack, thus silencing any questions."**

"I had a feeling…" He said with a sigh. "Seriously, did that Houndoom have any solutions to his problems that didn't involve raping or violence?"

" **Personally, I think he was compensating for someone he was lacking in life."** Lucy said with a sigh. **"He did lose his Prime Mate when she gave birth to both Vicious and Ardent. I guess he really, really was missing out on the 'action' he was forcing."**

" **Sounds more like he's 'compensating' for something else."** Sophia barked heartily.

"So barring fighting Fang, and forcibly mating his mate… is there no way to speak to him in a way he'll respect and understand." David asked the twin Meowstics.

" **None that we know of…"** Yara replied.

"Hmm…" David hummed to himself, thinking thoughtfully as he sat on the bed with Lucy, scratching her fur while she licked his cheek and nibbled his ears to show her affection. "Thank you Yara and Nera, you two can leave for now."

" **As you wish Leader!"** They both responded, bowing respectfully before leaving together.

For several minutes Lucy fawned over him while he thought deeply, trying to find a solution to the problem. "Fang is too stubborn to listen to reason, and he's too stubborn to even listen to force that doesn't come from the leader." He whispered to himself. "What do you guys think, is there a way I can get him to understand?"

" **Depends, do you wanna fight a Pokemon that can shock you, burn you, poison you, or even freeze you?"** Lucy said with a frown, pausing in her show of affection to talk to him. **"Or would you rather fuck a female you don't even know just to remind Fang you're 'leader' and not him?"**

" **You can't fight Fang, you'll get ripped to shreds!"** Sophia barked instantly. **"He's a battle hardened Mightyena, with all of the fang moves available to his species. You're just a human, a human with immortality and immortal friends, but still a human! He'll tear you to pieces if you fight him."**

"I wasn't going to fight him Sophia." He said to his Furfrou friend. "Fighting doesn't exactly taste right to me, there's no need to fight if there is another way. But how can I talk to Fang when he won't listen to words?"

It was as all three of them thought about the problem, that an idea sparked in one of their minds, and quickly resonated with all of them. **"What if instead of talking to Fang, you take Scar's example, and talk to Fang through his mate?"** Lucy said. **"Not by mating her, but by talking to her, try to convince her to see reason and understand why we didn't fight."**

"That might actually work, if she can't convince him, then there's no Pokemon in this pack who can." He said. "Yara, Nera!" He yelled outside, and moments later the Twins returned. "Please bring Fang's mate here to me, and then after you've brought her, find and bring Fang here."

" **As you wish Leader."** They replied together, and walked out again.

" **I hope this works love."** Lucy said to him, resuming her shows of affection by nuzzling his cheek and licking them as well as planting the occasional kiss on them.

"Are you going to be doing this the entire time Fang's mate is here?" He asked his first Prime Mate, chuckling a little as she managed to slip her mouth onto his and thus her tongue into his mouth.

" **Maybe I will…"** She said seductively, smirking as she continued to plant kiss after kiss onto his lips.

" **And you say 'I'm' the perverted one!"** Sophia barked.

" **It's not perversion, its affection!"** Lucy growled angrily. **"So what if I want to inspire him to have sex later on, can't I show my love how much I love him?"**

"You talk way too much Lucy." David said with a grin, catching his Absol off guard and pulling her face into a fierce tongue battle.

" **Merde… I swear you act like this because of Lucy!"** Sophia giggled as she returned to chewing her squeaky toy.

Minutes later the Twins returned with a female Mightyena, and he instantly saw that the female was heavily pregnant, as her stomach was quite enlarged and she walked with very careful steps. This particular Mightyena however caught him off guard, as instead of black and grey fur, she had golden and yellow. Her eyes were also yellow, and despite her fierce appearance she had a gentleness in her gaze that felt extremely warm to him.

It was as if he were looking at a mother as she gazed at her own children.

As she entered David instantly saw that she was nervously eyeing him, not out of fear but out of sadness. It was as if she suspected the reason as to why she had been summoned to the Leader's chamber without her mate.

" **Leader, we're back with Fang's mate, Tenda."** Yara said as Tenda stepped forward and sat before David and his prime mates.

"Thank you both, now please go and find Fang as requested." He said.

Both the Meowstics nodded and left immediately, leaving the four of them in the chamber. **"You requested me leader?"** Tenda asked him respectfully.

"Yes, I assume you know why I've summoned you here?" He asked Tenda while Lucy laid down next to him to observe.

" **It has to do with my mate, Fang?"** She said, to which David nodded. **"Very well, what will you do with me then?"**

"Do with you, what in Lumiose are you talking about?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow.

" **You called me here to reaffirm your position as Leader of the pack, are you not?"** She replied with a deep sigh, as if preparing herself for something she did not want to do. **"I will do whatever you ask leader, just please do not harm my mate. He is merely looking out for the pack's image as a strong pack."**

"I've only called you here to ask you to talk to your mate Fang." He said.

" **Talk to him?"** She asked, surprise evident in your voice.

"I take it Tenda that you came here assuming I was planning to forcefully mate with you, since as a Human I would never challenge a Pokemon to single combat willingly." He asked her, to which she nodded. "Well I'm happy to say I'm not like Scar, I'm nothing like the previous leader. I don't force myself upon a female if they clearly do not wish to be with me, I never have and I never will."

" **Yea, quite the reverse actually, he tries to keep 'us' off of him as much as possible."** Lucy said with a smile. **"I have to seduce him just to get him to kiss me."**

"Lucy…" He said to his first Prime Mate. "Yes, as Lucy so eloquently put, I never force a female to mate with me. So don't worry about that happening." Tenda breathed a sigh of relief as he finished saying that. "What I called you here to do was to speak to Fang on my behalf."

" **But why me, I am only his mate, but you are the pack's leader."** Tenda said in confusion.

"That's precisely why I need 'you' to talk to him in my place, because you are his mate, perhaps he will listen to you. You probably know this, but Fang is exceptionally proud and extremely stubborn, he's dead set that I am a weak leader because I refused to fight for the berry trees that Logan demanded from us as compensation for banishing Vicious." He said to her to which she nodded in agreement. "The reason why I need you to talk to him, is because he won't listen to my words alone. As long as he remains stubborn and deaf to my words, he won't understand why I did what I did."

Tenda was quiet as he finished speaking, but after a few seconds she spoke up again. **"So why did you surrender them without a fight leader… he never told me, and all he says is that you are a weak leader."**

He stayed quiet as well, before answering her question as clearly as possible. "Tell me Tenda… are you carrying Fang's pup right now?" He asked, to which she nodded.

" **Yes, this is the fourth litter that he has had with me. I expect to give birth any day soon…"**

"I see, that's wonderful, I guess you care about him that much that you wish to have so many pups with him?" He said, more to himself than to the Mightyena or his two Prime Mates. "Tell me Tenda, do you feel I should have fought for the trees as Fang believes?"

" **Perhaps…"** She said with uncertainty. **"I am merely a pack member, I trust you to know what's best for the pack leader… as does Fang my mate."**

"I see…" He said as the Twins walked in at that exact moment with Fang behind them, Fang glaring at him as he took his place instantly next to Tenda, his claws extended so that he could fight at any moment. "Thank you both, now please leave us."

The Twins nodded and left again. **"Yes leader?"** Fang growled defensively.

"You can relax Fang, I have not touched your mate since she arrived. We have merely been talking." He said. "I assume you understand why I have called you and your mate here Fang?"

" **To silence my shouts that you are a weak leader?"** Fang growled.

"To an extent yes… but no, the reason I have called you here is because I'm hoping that your mate can do what my words alone cannot." He said to them. "Fang, you believe that I should have challenged Logan's pack for control of those trees?"

" **Yes, that is our territory, we should protect our territory whenever one challenges us for it!"** He barked angrily. **"We must always fight and contest those who would challenge us, if we do not it shows the weakness of our pack!"**

"I see, so you say I should have sent you, and others, as well as myself and other fighting Pokemon of this pack to challenge a pack that is equally as strong as us?" He asked the Mightyena, who barked back in agreement. "So tell me Fang, what would your mate think of me and my decision if I sent you to into battle… and you didn't come back alive? How would she feel, knowing that her leader had the option to avoid such a battle, but instead chose to fight, and sacrificed her mate in battle?"

" **I…"** Fang started saying, but was interrupted by David talking.

"Not only that, but how would she feel knowing that, any day now, she would give birth to her mate's pups, and her mate would not be alive to see them arrive in this world? Then, assuming they ever learned that their leader had the chance to find a peaceful solution that could have prevented a battle, and thus the death of their father, how would those pups feel and think about me?" He asked the Mightyena. "Tell me Fang, what's your answer to those questions?"

Fang was silent while they sat in silence, waiting for him to respond. **"I wouldn't know…"** He stuttered.

"If I were one of those pups, I wouldn't be very fond of my leader." He said. "Your mate wouldn't think very highly of me either I bet. I know I wouldn't if my mate was killed before he had the chance to see his pups born. If I were in Tenda's position I would really resent my leader." He stared into Fang's eyes with a determined expression, seeing that his words were finally reaching the Mightyena. "If I had chosen to send our Pokemon into battle, I would have sent fathers, mothers, friends, and loved ones into a fight with an equally strong opponent. There was no way we could have won without sacrificing lives, and in the end what would we win? A few more weeks to harvest berries from those trees before the winter season, a few weeks harvesting trees that in the end, wouldn't have ensured we'd have enough food to last through winter?"

" **Fang, even if we had had those trees, we might have had barely enough food to make it through winter, but there was no way to know for certain!"** Lucy said instantly. **"While we sacrificed those trees and risked starvation, at least we made sure nobody died a pointless death."**

"Furthermore, if I had truly wanted to ensure that we made it through winter, I could have taken your approach, and battled Logan's pack for that section of our territory." David said, as a far more sadistic thought crossed his mind, one he didn't like because of its implications. "Scar would have battled, of that I'm sure, and when he did he would have sacrificed quite a few of his pack's members. That would have decreased the number of mouths to feed, and 'then' we would have had more than enough food to last through winter. I could have gone down that road, but I didn't… and do you understand why?" He asked Fang. "Because how would your mate and pups have thought about their leader, knowing he got you killed, simply so that we'd have more food to go around. What would that say about 'me' as a leader?"

" **I… never thought…"** Fang whispered as he glanced at Tenda, who looked sad when she saw him looking so distraught. **"I just… only thought about our pack's image… I never considered…"**

"Call me weak if you wish Fang, but as long as you and the others call me Leader, I will always put your lives above anything else." David said. "Your lives are more important than a bunch of trees and acres of dirt. We can always find and search out new berry trees to harvest, but we can never replaces the lives that we lose in life. There's a difference between a leader being weak, and a leader being protective of those who follow him… and a huge difference between that and a leader who sacrifices those who follow him, without a second's thought." He glanced at Sophia and Lucy, and both nodded with an understanding smile. "I know more than anyone, the value of a life, and how important one's life is to another."

" **Fang…"** Tenda said, causing him to look at her. **"Our leader is only looking out for the pack… as our leader should. And he speaks the truth… if you had died… before our pups could be born… than I would truly resent him with all of my heart. As would all of our other pups, including the ones I will give birth to soon, when they were all old enough. Besides… it's as he says… it's just trees and dirt… we can always claim new territory after winter!"**

Finally, at long last Fang's expression softened and he nodded in understanding, stopping his intimidating glare. **"Forgive me leader… I was blinded…"** He said.

"It's alright Fang, I understand why you would think the way you do." He said. "Tenda, you may leave us, please take care of yourself and return to your chamber. At your stage you need to not overexert yourself."

" **Thank you leader…"** Tenda said, carefully getting up and leaving, giving Fang a lick before she left the chamber.

As she left he turned to Fang to speak to him. "You are lucky Fang, to have such a mate…" He said to the Mightyena. "Tenda clearly loves you, and she was thinking of you the entire time she was here. She was expecting me to forcefully mate with her just so you would not be harmed for speaking out against me."

" **I know… I care a great deal about her as well Leader…"** Fang replied. **"She was a friend of mine since we were both pups. I was lucky to have claimed her before any others could… I remember fighting three potential males to prove myself to her as a mate."**

"I can tell that not only are you lucky to have her, but she's lucky to have you as well…" He said with a smile. "Very well Fang, I hope we don't have any more disagreements in the future about me being 'weak'."

" **No more from me, and I will speak to those who still do, they will most assuredly listen to me."** He said as he began to leave.

"Before you go, I'll say it once more Fang…" David said with a grin. "You are indeed lucky to have such a beautiful and thoughtful mate. I am sure there are quite a few males in the pack who are jealous of you for having her as your mate." He glanced over at Lucy and winked at her, both of them thinking the exact same thing. "After all, I'm one of them."

" **You… but you have your Prime Mates…"** He said with a look of astonishment.

"Doesn't mean I can't feel a little jealous." David said with a chuckle. "I love Lucy as well as Sophia yes, and I will never love another more than them. But that doesn't mean I can't help but feel a little jealous when someone else has such a beautiful mate to themselves."

Fang smirked and nodded in understanding. **"Very well then, I shall tell you to not even think of ever touching Tenda."** He said with a hearty laugh. **"She's 'my' mate Leader… the only one who will ever claim her, is me."**

"Noted." David whispered as Fang left, leaving him and his two Prime mates alone.

" **I'll say this David, you certainly know how to talk to Pokemon."** Lucy said with a smirk. **"And thanks for the compliment by the way about loving both me and Sophia."**

"Your welcome my lovely Prime Mates." He said as Lucy climbed over and began locking lips with him again.

" **Again?"** Sophia groaned from the sidelines as David flipped Lucy onto her side and began making out with his Absol lover. **"Merde… well, I might as well join in!"**

=A Fool in Love=

(Karen's PoV)

" **Okay… what if I slowly approached him from behind… and walked up to him like this?"** Karen asked as she clasped her paws behind her as if to accentuate her nonexistent breasts. **"Wish my species had breasts now that I think about it… maybe he'd like to grasp them in both of his hands."** She paced back and forth again, unable to figure out the best plan of attack her target. **"Hmm, what if I walked up to him and… asked him on a date?"**

She smacked herself in the face and pouted, knowing full well she didn't have the courage to just walk up to her master and just be blunt about her request. **"Ugh, Sticky what should I do?"** She asked, pulling her stick out of her tail and staring at its flame. **"What if he doesn't want to mate with me? I mean he's the leader, he's got all the girls he can fuck at his fingertips."**

She was talking to her stick, a habit she picked up by spying on all of the humans out on their journeys while she had searched for David. She had seen them all in their private moments, and a few of them would talk to stuffed toys or other important belongings to them when they thought nobody noticed.

It was called something like an 'imaginary friend' or something like that, and all it really was is them talking to themselves to try and find a solution to some complicated problem.

So she had taken up the practice and named her stick, 'Sticky', not a very clever name but then again she only ever bothered with 'Sticky' when she was in a real jam.

For weeks she's been trying to come up with a method to get David interested in having sex with her, but it was increasingly hard as, as always, Lucy and Sophia found a way to get his attention. Despite the vibes she was constantly giving off, what with their pact sending the hints of longing and desire to him, all it was doing was making David and the two Prime Mates really 'interested' in each other. Lancelot was also no help, seeing as he was focusing all of his efforts into David's training.

She also didn't even want to get started on Terrance's influence over them, the Lapras was so calm he could give a Milotic a run for its money.

" **I mean, come one, what does a Braixen gatta do to get laid around here?"** She growled as she put 'Sticky' back into her tail. **"It's not that I want him to fuck me… oh who am I kidding I 'really' want him to fuck me! Fuck me so hard that I won't be able to walk straight for a week… I shouldn't have to convince him to fuck me, I mean I'm the starter, I should always get first dibs in anything! Meals, bath time, fur brushing, getting my 'cherry popped', giving morning blowjobs… everything, it's only natural!"** She stomped in frustration and paced some more. **"Look at me, I'm a pure blooded, horny as Arceus, ready and willing virgin Braixen! Half the perverts in Kalos would give their left pinkies to pop my cherry! All my master would have to do is suggest the idea and I'd let him plow me like a Mamoswine would a passage in a snow storm."**

She paced around again, racking her brain to come up with something. **"Maybe he just doesn't like bipedal Pokemon?"** She thought curiously as she recalled all of the Pokemon, based on the gossip from the girls, of who he's mated with. **"Now that I mention it… he has only ever banged quadruped Pokemon. First was Lucy and Sophia, then came that Ninetails, a couple Eeveelutions… The only bipedal that even comes close is Nera, and even 'she' wasn't as into that as she would have been. In fact now that I think about Nera, doesn't she spend most of her time walking around on four legs instead of two? Yea she only ever walks on two when it's a short distance…"**

She looked down at her legs and paws and wondered if perhaps he had a fetish for Pokemon that walk on all fours instead of two legs, just as she had one for humans having sex for Pokemon. **"Maybe he just prefers them on four instead of two…"** She whispered as she tried to get down on all fours like the other members of the pack. **"Oh… never mind… ow… ow… that stings ow my back!"** She quickly got back up and stood straight, her species was not meant to be on all four like when she was a Fennekin. **"Okay, so that's out of the plan. Now how do I go about convincing David to fuck me?"**

As she contemplated she had an idea, and if it played out well, then she'd get to be alone with him at last.

" **Alright!"** She shouted excitedly as she ran out of her chamber to the lake chamber, knowing that David was checking up on the pack's food with Lancelot. **"Today is Operation: Goodbye Vcard! Watch out master, cause Karen's on the loose and you're not sleeping tonight until you've fucked me good and hard!"**

(David's PoV)

" **Tomorrow and the next day are the last days to harvest Leader, and I can safely say that we have ample food to survive the winter season!"** Lunara said to David as he examined the massive pile of fruits and berries piled in the winter reserves. **"I have already begun rotating the food to ensure frostbite does not affect them. As you know because we freeze this chamber often enough to keep it cool, the food at the bottom and in the center of the pile is always the coldest. Therefore, each day I will begin rotating the food to ensure it does not spoil or freeze."**

"That's good." He said with a sigh of relief. "If Xerneas hadn't allowed us to pick her food, we might not have been able to garner enough."

 **(It also helps that she doesn't really eat, considering how small her mouth is and how tall she is.)** Lancelot told him in private. **(She had far more food than you imagined, Lucy has instructed a lot of our foragers to harvest that grove solely. They're constantly going back and forth to keep the food flowing in and gather every bit of fruit and berry before winter sets in.)**

He chuckled at that and watched as Lunara began shuffling the food in the pit. "So will you be doing this all day? What about the other Winter Reserve Guards?"

" **I'm the only one who holds the position of food shuffler here."** Lunara replied, digging into the pile and gently shifting food around. **"I've performed this task every winter season since I first came here, and I am the only one of us who has the patience to perform it. While I am doing this, the others will be performing their regular duties, guarding and patrolling the various catacombs and tunnels."**

"It seems like a lot of work to do all by yourself though… are you sure you don't want any help?" He asked the Froslass.

" **I will be fine Leader, do not concern yourself any further."** She said politely to him. **"I have done this before, and will continue to do it as long as I remain here."**

"Well alright, but if you do need help, don't hesitate to ask someone to help you alright?" He said.

" **Of course Leader… now if you will excuse me, I have work to do."** Lunara said with a smile. **"I will have another of the guards escort you both to the surface. Frostella… Frostella come down here!"**

In floated another Froslass from one of the tunnels above them, the same one that always packed the sleds with berries for the pack to eat. **"Yes?"** Frostella asked Lunara, ignoring David and Lancelot as she floated next to her.

" **Please escort our leader and his guard to the exit."** She replied, focusing her attention on the pile of berries that she was constantly lifting and shifting to reach the bottom and center of.

" **Very well…"** Frostella replied, before floating over to the two of them and beckoning them to follow her, still ignoring them and refusing to make eye contact.

As they followed Frostella David was once again reminded of just how different Lunara was compared to the other Winter Reserve Guards She spoke to them in a polite and respectful way, the rest either ignored them, or didn't bother approaching them at all. Only Crysta, the other Froslass they knew personally spoke to them, although after their last encounter she had avoided talking almost nearly as much. Glitter, one of the many Glalies and Lunara's mate also talked to them in a disrespectful manner, whenever David or Lancelot talked to him about anything.

Although they've never spoken to him often as he, like the other Winter Guards, chose to ignore them whenever possible.

 **(I don't know which is stranger Master.)** Lancelot whispered to him privately as they went up one corridor and down another. **(The fact that 'this' is considered normal for them, or that they even bother talking to each other. With all of the silent treatments they give both us and each other, it's as if nobody else exists to them.)**

He nodded in agreement, not wishing to let Frostella hear what they were talking about, but he too was in agreement with Lancelot. The Winter Guards were almost all so stubborn and secluded in their own little worlds that anyone else was seen as a nuisance. Still, he admired how determined they were in protecting the pack's food.

After several minutes Frostella stopped moving and pointed at a very recognizable tunnel, the main tunnel that exited out of the Winter Reserve caverns, and out into the Lake Chamber. As they began to leave, she instantly turned and left, still choosing to ignore the pair of them and refuse eye contact.

As they exited the chamber they saw Terrance swimming idly next to the shore of the small island, atop his back was Karen, chatting idly with the Lapras as they waited for them.

" **And so I told the Luxray, I kinda forgot his name sorry, if he wants to get between my legs he needs to be stronger than me!"** She said with a giggle. **"So that's why he's pretty much avoiding me now."**

" **So what you're saying is that only Lance is strong enough for you?"** Terrance asked with a knowing smile.

" **AS IF!"** Karen yelled, glaring at Terranace who began chuckling. **"I am so much better than that Lucario!"**

 **(Then how is it I still have the higher win count whenever we challenge one another?)** Lance asked psychically, causing them to finally notice him and David.

" **Hi master!"** Karen said instantly, her anger forgotten the moment she saw him.

"Hi Karen, why are you here, I figured you hated the water like all fire types." David said as he began to climb onto Terrance's shell.

" **Oh you know, I just wanted to hang out with ya!"** Karen said with a slight giggle as she suddenly felt slightly nervous, though what was making her nervous didn't register.

(Karen's PoV)

 _ ***Okay… phase one down, now on to phase two!***_ Karen thought privately, using her mental powers to ignore Xerneas' pact and keeping her real intentions secret.

Her plan was twofold, first get her master's attention, once she had it she would pretend to drown, and if all went well, she'd be in her chamber or in 'his' chamber, with him. And hopefully if everything went according to plan, she'd soon be losing her vcard.

Once Lancelot was on Terrance's shell the Lapras began to swim to the other side while he and David chatted about things. "So Lunara says she's going to rotate the food and ensure it doesn't suffer frostbite from now on." David said, turning to Lance as they spoke. "I'm guessing she isn't going to be leaving that room, so I think perhaps you should continue to help her out."

 **(It will be my honor master.)** He said respectfully.

 _ ***Okay… now's my chance!***_ She thought to herself as they crossed halfway across the lake. _***Now to play the damsel in distress!***_

" **So master David, is there anything you'd like me to do~ooo!"** She started saying when she got up a little too eagerly to walk over to him and began to 'lose her balance', while riding atop Terrance's shell.

Then, she purposefully shifted her weight so that instead of safely landing next to David, she ended up falling over the side, and into the deep and cold water.

There are some things that she was prepared for, she was prepared for the stinging, the pain, and the insanely cold water that comes from being a fire type. It was her natural weakness, she was used to it, having been hit by Hydro Pumps and Scalds, Hydro Cannons and Water Pulses from a variety of water types. So she expected the cold and pain she felt when she hit the water and started to go under.

But by the creator Arceus, did it hurt her.

 _ ***I don't think I thought this through… thoroughly!***_ She thought as she saw a body jump into the water after her, and recognized it vaguely as her master. _***Well… at least it's going according to plan…***_

However as she began to sink deeper, she saw through the blurry scene her eyes showed, that something was wrong. Her master was catching up to her, but he was starting to move slower, and his legs weren't moving right. It was as though…

 ***He can't swim?*** She thought dimly as she watched him finally reach her, but his legs weren't bringing them back up to the surface, instead they were floundering, going deeper, and he was even starting to move slower. _***Crap… did I just… kill my master… a second time?***_

 _ ***No… this isn't… what I wanted…***_ She thought desperately as she gave a single, feeble attempt to swim up, but before she could, she felt her strength fading. _***What was I… thinking… doing… this…***_

Her last conscious feeling was a sudden rush of water pushing past her, and everything around her going from wet to being dry.

(David's PoV)

 _[Jenny's Theme – The Darkness]_

=Many hours Later, Karen's Chamber=

He watched the little Braixen sleeping peacefully in her bed, warm and dry under her blankets, without any knowledge of how she got there or who was in the room with her.

" **I don't care what her intentions were, she nearly got ALL of us killed!"** Lucy growled as quietly as she could, quietly because David had asked them to be quiet and let her sleep. **"If we're going to live for eternity then I want to live a good portion of that time! I don't give a Weedle's needle about what she wanted, if she tries anything like that again, it's her tail that I'm slicing!"**

" **Agreed, honestly, stupide démarreur de renard, trying to play demoiselle en détresse just to get our maîtrise attention."** Sophia barked as she paced back and forth. **"She put all of our lives in danger, and for what, just to get some attention?"**

 **(It's not her fault.)** Lancelot said as he sat off to the side with his arms folded. **(She has always been one to take actions into her own paws. She probably was desperate for attention, and because we're all taking up David's time she probably saw no other option. Me training our master to protect himself was probably the last straw for her, she couldn't take it anymore is what I'd have to guess.)**

" **I can understand when a female is horny and wants a good fucking, but I think pretending to drown herself just to get David to mate with her is pushing it just a 'little'."** Lucy said.

David nodded in agreement, but as he watched Karen sleeping soundly with a smile on her face, looking peaceful as she dreamed whatever dreams she was having, he just couldn't find it in himself to be angry with her.

He remembered how he watched her 'accidentally' fall off Terrance's shell, and in a panic he had jumped straight into the water to save her. That was when he remembered foolishly that he could not swim, but he still tried to save her by swimming after her. But the deeper she went, the more the water attacked her, and soon he was beginning to suffer alongside her, feeling as though he was losing strength rapidly because of their connection.

Fortunately, Terrance had sensed it, and fought through the pain to swim under them and pulled them both back up to the surface, Lancelot holding both the spikes on his shell and David's hand to keep them together. If Terrance hadn't pushed through the pain, they would have all drowned.

Xerneas was quite angry at Karen, and it took all of David talking to calm her down and convince her to not yell at Karen or punish her for her foolishness. After she had calmed down, she examined Karen's memories and feelings, and with help from the others, they deduced why she did what she did.

Karen was in love with David, there was absolutely no doubt about it, and combined with her sexual frustration, her jealousy of Lucy and Sophia being with him every night, and finally her longing to be with her human master, ensured that she wasn't thinking clearly. That, and Xerneas confirmed that Lucy was also in heat, and it would only last for a few hours, proving that her instincts drove her decisions and not her logical senses. Xerneas also said that by the time she woke up her heat would most likely have passed, assuming the water truly took a toll on her.

David had forgiven her, as he had promised to be closer to Karen back when Scar tried to kill him a second time, but because he was so caught up in his duties with the pack he had neglected her. While the others blamed Karen for nearly killing them all, he was blaming himself, as his negligence of his Starter had driven her to take the actions she took.

"Guys, do you think you could leave me alone with Karen?" He asked his team.

 **(As you wish master…)** Lancelot said respectfully, but as he left he looked worriedly at Karen.

" **Fine, but don't let her off the hook just because she's your starter!"** Sophia said in a huff as she left too, but as she did she gave Karen a soft glance.

As Sophia and Lancelot left, Lucy walked over and gave David a gentle lick and a warm smile. **"I understand love… it's for the best."** She whispered as she prepared to leave. **"Just do what is right… and make her happy, alright? It's what I would want from you if I were in her place."**

"I will Lucy… no hard feelings?" He asked his first Prime Mate.

" **None from me, you're the leader remember?"** She said with a chuckle. **"I don't mind sharing you with the other girls, heck, we all love you in our own ways, even Lancelot and Terrance. But… well let's just say it's the girls on your team that love you more… intimately."** She gave him one last look as well as a smirk, before she turned and left the room, leaving him and Karen alone.

Once they were alone, all David could do was sit next to his sleeping Braixen and stroke her fur, and wait for her to wake up.

Finally, after a good half an hour of continuous stroking, he felt Karen starting to stir from her dreams. There was a brief moment as she looked around, as if she didn't know where she was, before she realized who was stroking her fur.

Then she looked away in shame.

" **I'm guessing you saved my life master…"** She said and it wasn't a question.

"Not me, Terrance and Lance." He replied. "If he didn't swim underneath us, and Lancelot didn't grab my arm when he did, we'd all be dead by now."

" **Is everyone… mad at me?"** She asked nervously.

"Xerneas is furious with you, no doubt about it. She wanted to punish you for putting all of our lives in jeopardy for such a 'foolish' act." He said with a chuckle, but his eyes softened and he stopped quickly when he saw she was frowning deeply. "Why did you do it Karen, of all the stunts, why would you risk getting killed just to get my attention?"

Karen was silent before she climbed into his lap and curled up with him. **"Can I be honest with you master?"** She asked.

"If you can't be honest with me, your Original Trainer, who can you be honest with?" He replied.

" **Master… do you love Lucy and Sophia… more than 'me'?"**

He sighed and looked down at her, scratching her fur and making her purr in comfort. "No… in all honesty… I don't love them more than you." He said to her. "It's weird to say this Karen, but after all that has happened to us, knowing about our past lives, and re-experiencing our past while also knowing of our present selves. After all of that… I've come to love you as much as I do Lucy and Sophia. The same with Lancelot and Terrance… but not in the same way…"

" **What way is that?"** She asked, looking up at him in confusion.

"Lance and Terrance are like brothers to me… they're like parts of me I could no more forget or remove than I could sever my own arm."

" **Oh… I see… so what does that mean for me?"** She asked him, looking at her paws as if admiring them.

"Well, what does my starter think?" He asked her.

She sighed and looked up at him again, but this time her eyes were full of longing and guilt. **"Master… if I tell you the truth… will you promise to keep it a secret between us?"**

"Hard to do that with our pact, but I'll do my absolute best to ensure nobody knows what you tell me." He said with a determined nod.

She nodded and pulled the stick out of her tail and promptly tossed it to the side of the room, before looking up at him and placing her two paws on his chest with a scared expression on her face. **"Master… I'm ashamed to admit it… but…"** She stuttered before gathering her courage to talk. **"I'm the… Pokemon equivalent of a Pokephiliac… I fantasize about having sex with a human."** She instantly looked away in shame before shaking her head and staring at him with determination. **"But I'm not like that, I mean… I'm not fantasizing about having sex with 'any' human… only you! I've always wanted to have sex with my OT, my true master! And… and not just for the reasons that humans do for Pokemon, I've wanted to mate with you because I love you!"**

"I see…" He said, stroking her back fur as gently as he could to comfort her and calm her down. "Is this your heart talking… or your hormones… because that can influence what you're saying greatly."

She looked down in shame once more, before looking up at him with hope in her eyes. **"My heart master… always my heart."** She whispered. **"My hormones may say one thing… but my heart always has the final say… that's why… I never pushed you to have sex with me."** She looked down at his hand and held it with both paws, before pressing it against her sex and looking back up at him with a nervous look. **"That's why I've wanted you to take my virginity… for as long as I could think of giving it to you. Because I want my first and only times to be with the human I love… just as Lucy waited for you… I wanted to wait for you."**

"First times?" He asked her in confusion.

She nodded and moved his hand now to her mouth. **"Yes… I wanted to give you my first kiss… my virginity… my first 'everything'."** She let his hand go and now stood on both her legs so that she could stand at eye level with him. **"Master… do you prefer Pokemon on all four, or do you like them on two?"**

"I don't really like either one over the other Karen." He said with a smile, putting his hand on the back of her head and ever so slowly pushing her face closer to his. "But if you really want to know Karen… I prefer when my mates are real close to me… and whether they walk on two or four doesn't matter. As long as their lips are pressed against mine, and I really care about them, how many legs they walk on doesn't make a difference to me. Which brings us to right now…" He whispered as their faces were now an inch apart from one another, and Karen was blushing deeply through her fur. "Tell me Karen, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

Karen nodded her head ever so slightly as she continued to stare into her eyes, her own eyes shaded over with waiting lust. **"That you're a bad master for ignoring your starter, when she never ignored you once?"**

"That's right… I am a bad OT… you were willing to risk your life as well as everyone's, just to get my attention." He whispered as he slowly, ever so slowly began to angle her so that now she was lying on her back with the blankets beneath them and so that he was on top of her. "Well now you have my full attention Karen, and I think it's time I gave you the attention you've been seeking."

 _[Due to the… nature… of this scene. Please put this in YouTube. /watch?v=RZXqFxvHG9g ]_

He finally closed the distance between their faces and deeply kissed his Braixen, who moaned enthusiastically while closing her eyes as he pushed his tongue into her mouth.

(Multi PoV)

Karen's moan of longing was all that could be heard as her mouth eagerly welcomed its explorer back in, practically begging it to explore even more than it did the first time. _***Oh… yea!***_ Was her thought as she wrapped her paws around her master's neck, more than content to wait and let him enjoy 'her' at 'his' pace. _***This is what I've been waiting for! Yes master… just take me and make me yours!***_

Her plan had failed to go the way she had wanted it to that day, she had been hoping that David would rescue her and take her back to his or her chamber to look after her, than she would confess her feelings and offer herself to him if he asked if there was anything he could do to help her. Alas that wasn't what happened, and while she was sure the others would still be a might angry at her, that didn't matter now.

In the end, she was about to lose her vcard, and 'that' was far more important than anything else in the world.

As David deepened the kiss she felt her pussy start to get wet and heated, preparing itself for when it finally got what she had been longing for since she first met her master in Pack Delica's den. And by the way he was starting to rub her back and inching his other hand toward her pussy to finger it, it would not be very long.

Then without warning he inserted a little of his finger in and massaged her walls. **"Ah!"** She moaned loudly, letting go of his mouth as her body recoiled in surprise, unfamiliar with the feeling and surprised at how it felt.

"Are you okay Karen?" He asked her gently as he continued to finger her.

" **Oh yes~!"** She mewled as she began licking his neck. **"More… please master~!"**

"As you wish Karen, my vixen Braixen." He said with a smile, continuing to finger her pussy's walls. "Since you're my starter, I wanted to give you 'special' treatment, that I never gave Lucy or Sophia."

" **Ooooh~…"** She moaned blissfully.

Karen's moans of pleasure were quite intoxicating to David, and the fact that he felt her pleasure through their pact only enhanced his own desires. As her moans began to increase in tone and pitch, he felt her walls begin to tighten around his finger. Since she was a virgin as well, obviously this much pleasure was too much for her, and she gave an almighty blissful cry as she came all over his finger.

While she panted slightly while recovering David took his finger that was now soaked in her juices and gave it a lick, wondering how it tasted. "Hmm, slightly spicy… but it's still sweet to me… just like you Karen." He said to her as she smiled up at him.

" **Master… please…"** She moaned, pawing at his member which was now being painfully restrained by his jeans. **"Please tell me you're going to take me soon!"**

"Are you sure Karen?" He asked her, offering her the chance to change her mind.

Karen nodded as she laid as flat on her back as she could, watching him as he began to remove his shirt and pants, and finally his underwear, revealing his member standing at full length to her. She eyed it with amazement, all of the time she had seen it from a distance, but it never looked 'that' big to her until now.

 _ ***Oh sweet Arceus… will it even fit?***_ She asked herself as she instinctually spread her legs, her wet pussy still soaked from her first orgasm, eagerly awaiting the arrival of its visitor. _***This is it… this is it!***_ She thought as her trainer leaned closer to her and lined his member up with her sex.

Just as David was about to press into her, he noticed her suddenly tense up and shake slightly, cautious he paused and scratched her cheek gently to calm her down. "What's wrong Karen?"

" **I'm… afraid…"** She whispered fearfully. **"I'm told it… hurts… a lot! I'm afraid it will hurt a lot!"**

"We don't have to if you don't want to you know…"

" **No, I want it!"** She said back. **"Just… let me calm down… and I'll be ready."**

He nodded and decided to help her out by leaning forward and kissing her gently on her lips, and even let her clutch his hand with her paw as tightly as she could because it was bigger than hers. Then as he felt her shaking stop, and she nodded while still kissing her, he knew it was time. So with all the force and speed he could muster to end it as quickly as he could, he thrust his member forward into her pussy's lips…

And right through her hymen, marking her as virgin, hilting himself entirely inside of her, forcing his member's head all the way into her womb.

Karen had guessed right, it did hurt, a LOT. It felt as though she had been jabbed by a hot iron poker, it stung worse than any poison stings or virtually any other attack she had ever endured. But as she screamed into her master's kiss, trying to control her body and prevent it from lashing out against the pain, while her eyes shed tears, a part of her body reacted the opposite. Even though her pussy's walls were not meant to take a member of 'his' size, it still stretched and gripped it with all of its might.

" **It huuurts!"** She moaned, pushing away from him to groan in agony.

He knew it would hurt her, but he waited for her to adjust and calm down before continuing. Unlike with Sophia and Lucy, who could take him because they were taller lying down, she was only three feet tall height wise.

After a few minutes she steadied her breathing, and nodded at him, signaling that she was ready. So he nodded as well, and began to thrust in and out of her at a slow pace, refusing to give into his hormones which were egging him to pound away like a Rhydon. He also did his best to ignore the sight of red lines dripping from her sex, marking the loss of her virginity. Yet for all of his restraint, he could not believe how good she felt to him. Her walls were absolutely warm, as expected because she was a fire type, but because he was making love to his starter, and the fact that like Nera, she was bipedal, made it feel different than when he made love to Lucy or Sophia.

Karen meanwhile was in ecstasy as she was fucked at long last, and each time her trainer thrusted in her walls gripped his member tightly, trying to prevent it from exiting while loosening each time it pulled out, hoping to entice it back in, repeating the process for each thrust. He was big, not just 'big' for a Braixen, but big in general, and she loved the feeling of how full her passage was. Each time it entered her womb she could feel it, and she wanted more of that feeling.

 _ ***Oh fuuuck… my paws have nothing on his dick!***_ She thought as she leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth, begging his tongue to dance with hers, which just as eagerly complied. _***Oh sweet Arceus… I can't even think straight anymore! It feels so good!***_

David leaned forward again and pushed Karen onto her back as far as she could, all the while still thrusting in and out at a steady pace, before pulling his face away to smile at her. "How is it Karen…?" He groaned softly as he continued to thrust, electing moans of pleasure from her.

" **It feels so good~!"** She moaned happily, her tongue hanging from her mouth as she spoke. **"More~… harder… make me yours master~!"**

Encouraged by her request he began to thrust harder now, hitting into her womb each time he went back in. She was absolutely tight, he never noticed it before but she was tighter than any other Pokemon he had ever mated with. A fact made evident as her walls began to grip him even tighter, as if sensing his pleasure from her tightness and wanting to enhance it even more.

"Karen, you're so warm and tight… it feels amazing." He whispered to her while she licked his neck frantically, gripping his neck with her paws to stay as close to him as she could.

" **I'm so… glad… you love it!"** She moaned, gasping as he picked her up now so that they were in a sitting position. **"Oh master… harder… I'm almost there!"**

"Me too Karen… me too!" He said, thrusting her up and down as hard as he could now. "Oh… I'm about to come!"

" **Inside… inside… inside me!"** She said as she held onto him as tightly as she could. **"Release inside me… give me your sperm… make me 'yours'!"**

They kept going for a full minute longer, before at long last, he hilted himself one final time and released his seed into her womb. She moaned in pleasure as she was filled, while at the same time she released all over his member.

She felt her womb becoming full with his sperm, and was actually glad that Xerneas wasn't letting them have kits or pups without her consent. If she got pregnant, she couldn't feel like this whenever she wanted. She could feel her womb becoming full to the brim with cum, and it felt absolutely wonderful to her because it was her OT's sperm, and not some pathetic Luxray or Mightyena.

 _ ***Oh… the benefits… outweigh… the cost…***_ She thought as she became stiff as a board.

Seconds later she collapsed onto him, unable to sit straight because her legs felt like they had been running all day. He pet her until she had enough energy to walk again, and let her go so that she could clean up in her small bath the chamber had, while he put his clothes on.

After they were both decent, she walked, rather wobbly, over to him and curled up in his lap again, purring loudly as he scratched her behind her ears. "So Karen… how was I?" He asked her quietly.

 **"Like a true Pokemon Master… you are the very best, like no one ever was."** She whispered, nuzzling him with her cheek. **"So I guess I'm officially a member of your harem?"**

"Harem?" He asked curiously.

" **You don't know what a harem is master?"** She asked in mild surprise, but quickly changed into a grin when he shook his head. **"Oh master… you have a Furfrou that speaks Lumiose and you don't know what a 'harem' is?"**

"Is that a good thing…?" He asked sheepishly.

" **Dear, dear… what am I going do with you Master David?"** She said with a chuckle. **"As your starter this is an unforgiveable offense, I've got to teach 'you' a thing or two now. Well, don't even think of making me you're third Prime Mate, two's more than enough for this pack. I prefer being your bodyguard… with special 'benefits' for the one she's guarding."**

He chuckled again and continued to scratch her fur, electing several purrs of love from her.

 _ ***Well vcard… it's been nice having ya, but it's even better not having ya!***_ She thought to herself as she looked up at him and pushed herself up to kiss him on the lips. _***I wonder… how good is he at anal? Can't wait to find out…***_


	24. Chapter 20

_*The past is forever chained to us in the present…*_

 _*It defines who we become in the future…*_

 _*This is an inevitable, and inescapable fact of life.*_

=Chapter 20, Memories of the Champion and the Rival Teams=

=The Champion Team=

(Serena's PoV)

Serena yawned as she flipped through the channels on the television set they gave her in the Hotel in Camphrier Town, alongside her team as they lazed around in various spots of the room. It was winter and she and her team were in the latter months of their vacation, relaxing from the league championship while trainers qualified to challenge her.

"Isn't there anything good on?" She asked in a bored tone. "Seriously, I paid a hundred thousand for this service, can't there be anything good on?"

She kept flipping through the channels until she reached the news channels, and unfortunately paused on it long enough to see the headlines, **'Champion Serena, A Special Report!'** , blazing across the top of the screen. Unable to stop herself from changing it, she listened to the story they were talking about.

 _ **[Tonight we come to you live from LNN, the Lumiose News Network, and our special tonight is the recent 'vacation' that Kalos Pokemon League Champion, Serena has taken in recent months.]**_ A news lady reported, one of hundreds that worked for LNN. _**[In light of her recent decision to take a vacation, under the statement that she was 'Giving her team time to relax', we have had various reporters investigating this claim, and have discovered a stunning series of revelations. Reporting on this is a man who goes by the name, 'Seeker' who we are pleased to bring with you tonight. At his request we have censored his image.]**_

As she watched the screen switched to a split screen to allow them to see a darkened image of a person's face, shrouded to prevent anyone from identifying who it was. _**[It's a pleasure to be here ma'am.]**_ The person said, and his voice was digitized to prevent anyone from recognizing the gender.

 _ **[And it's a pleasure to have you here, now you say your investigation reveals that there was another reason for Serena taking this surprise vacation?]**_

 _ **[That's right, you see, I had a suspicion that Champion Serena had an ulterior motive for this decision, and after investigating and asking questions I can safely say that my hypothesis is confirmed.]**_

 _ **[Do tell us.]**_

 _ **[You see, years ago when Team Flare was committing the atrocities they have become infamous for, Serena and another trainer became the center pieces for defeating them and their leader Lysandre. After he was defeated and his organization destroyed after the destruction of their 'Ultimate Weapon', she and the other young trainer, one 'David Calem', as well as others, became known as the Heroes of Kalos.]**_

 _ **[We know of this already 'Seeker'.]**_

 _ **[Yes, but what people don't know, that I have learned after doing a thorough investigation. Is that while she and her friends traveled, she became rivals with this David Calem, and until that point, he never lost a battle against her. Furthermore, he was the first of their group to acquire a Mega Ring, and achieve Mega Evolution. He also was the first one in their group to challenge each of the gyms until that point, emerging victorious each time. It is my belief that our Champion is trying to make everyone forget that before we had our 'Invincible Champion Serena', she was actually on a constant losing streak. I believe she's trying to erase that image from her past so that nobody knows that our champion once could never win at anything her friend did as well.]**_

 _ **[Interesting, it almost makes me wonder if perhaps if this 'David Calem' had survived, would we have had a different champion than the-]**_

 _{SMASH}_

Serena's team jumped at the sound of the television's screen being smashed, and the cause was the remote that she had been holding. Now here arm was outstretched in the pose that indicated that she had indeed thrown the remote and destroyed the television set. "Bastards… they don't get it!" She growled angrily, getting up and staring at the remains of the TV with a furious glare. "I am not, erasing, my past image! It's not true… I just… I just…"

She stopped taking her anger out on the TV and breathed heavily, letting her anger subside slowly and steadily. "I just wanted… to prevent anyone else from becoming Champion…" She sighed and grabbed her purse, before addressing her team. "I'll be back guys, I need to go and pay for the TV set, try not to get in trouble until I come back alright?"

" **Sol!"** Her Absol said as she turned and left the room.

(Absol's PoV)

" **It's that time of year again isn't it?"** Aria, the Altaria of the team asked sadly as she flew over and landed next to the TV. **"The media makes fun of her each time this year when she goes on vacation."**

Soul nodded as he too looked at the pieces of what remained of the TV set. Their trainer had neglected to give them proper names during their travels, referring to them by their species names. So they had given themselves names, Altaria was called Aria, because she often flew through the air to amuse Serena during her most depressing days.

He was called Soul because, as a Mega Absol, he was closest to Serena's heart and soul, he had to be in order to Mega Evolve.

" **She always gets like this, each and every time during the winter season it happens."** He said to the others as they walked over to talk. **"The media makes fun of her, she gets upset, and we end up going to the monument and grave site. It's the same year after year."**

" **And we end up just staring at her and watching her weep and moan, mourning over the loss of our rival team."** Meow, the Meowstic said as she folded her arms in thought. **"It happens every year, I know she's upset but this is ridiculous! It's been how many years since David's team died?"**

" **Eighteen going on nineteen, I've kept counting."** Flare, the Flareon said as he nodded in agreement. **"She has to get over this, she can't do this every winter when trainers start to earn their badges and we approach the challenging season! I don't care if we win every time, if she fights in her condition we're going to lose. And then her title that she's kept will mean nothing!"**

" **It's not her fault…"** Gren, the Greninja starter croaked while he sat and crossed his webbed hands.

" **Not her fault, this happens every time and we talk about this every year, we never had this problem before David's team died!"** Meow said angrily. **"Before we used to train hard, but now we just laze about, when are we going to do some serious training sessions instead of just 'exercising routines'?"**

They all nodded in agreement, including Soul, who understood their frustration as well. He remembered the hard training sessions when they were younger, before they were champions, not a day went by without one. Now however…

" **I don't mean to be rude… but how did it start?"** Aria chirped. **"How did she get like this… most humans get over this after a while, but how come she hasn't?"**

Soul sighed and remembered that Aria never did hear the story in its entirety, after all, she joined the team half a year after the incident happened. **"I guess I should tell you, after all I was the only other one out when it happened."** He said, looking at Aria with a sad expression.

" **Well you go and do that, I'm going to sleep in my ball."** Meow said, walking over to her Pokeball and tapping it to be recalled in.

" **Yea, same here."** Flare whispered with a yawn.

" **I will as well…"** Gren said.

Both of them walked over and recalled themselves into their respective balls, leaving Soul and Aria alone to talk. **"So how did it happen?"** Aria whispered with a curious look.

" **I'll never forget that morning, it was the morning just after Team Flare's plans had been foiled."** Soul said, glancing out the window to stare at the cloudy sky, a layer of snow falling outside. **"Serena had just left Geosenge Town and was making her way along Route 11, when she realized that she had not enough supplies to make it to the next town. So we were on our way back to Geosenge, and had just finished wiping the floor with one rookie trainer…"**

 _(Flashback, Soul's PoV)_

" _Well that was an easy victory Absol!"_ Serena chuckled as walked down the road toward Geosenge Town. _"Poor guy didn't even see what was coming, I have a feeling we might be ready to try for Mega Evolution ourselves!"_

" _ **Sol!"**_ He said just as confidently, eagerly wishing he could Mega Evolve so he and Serena could finally take on Lancelot and David in a more even fight.

As they neared Geosenge Town they noticed something odd in the path, a couple of trees had been chopped down. Yet there were no signs of any lumberjacks around, nor could she see any Pokemon nearby. _"Huh, that's strange…"_ Serena said as they paused to investigate the nearest tree. _"It's like something chopped them down… and left them here? But why?"_

" _ **Absol…?"**_ _He replied._

" _Well Absol buddy, let's go check it out!"_ She said with a grin. _"Geosenge is only a couple of minutes away, I think we can spare a few moments to check things out. Besides we might find a new Pokemon to add to our team!"_

" _ **Sol!"**_ He said cheerfully, following Serena as she led the way down the path.

They followed the trail of chopped down trees, each one leading to another as if marking some kind of path. Each of the trees they noticed, had been sliced at an angle, and all from the same direction. _"This is so weird… who or what could have done this?"_ Serena asked as they continued to walk. _"Huh… what's that?"_

Soul looked up from the tree he was sniffing to see what looked like a Lapras lying on the ground ahead of them. The Lapras actually looked very familiar to him, and apparently did as well to Serena.

" _Awww look, its Terrance, David and his team must have been celebrating last night and probably stayed up all night partying!"_ She said in a cute voice as well as a grin. _"They're probably all asleep together, maybe that's why the trees got damaged, probably got a 'little' too party happy."_

Soul chuckled to himself as he imagined that giant water Pokemon jumping around and causing all of those trees to break.

" _Hey, wanna sneak up on them and scare them?"_ She asked him. _"That'll teach our rivals to spend all night partying when they should be training hard! Otherwise we'll outpace them and become champions!"_

" _ **Sol!"**_ He said with an eager nod.

Together they slowly creeped up to David's team, but something seemed odd to Soul, something was off and he just couldn't think what it was. As they got closer he noticed that Terrance wasn't snoring or even breathing, and that's when Soul started to get confused. There was also a strange smell that approached his nostrils that also seemed off.

But once they were close enough, Serena held her finger up to her mouth and told him to be quite, before counting down from five. _"Five… four… three…"_ She whispered as they crept slowly around Terrance's shell to surprise and wake them up. _"Two… one…"_

They both jumped around and prepared to shout and wake up their rivals, when they both saw the most horrible sight they could imagine.

Lying on the ground, bleeding from his chest and not breathing, was David, and around him, each of whom touching a various part of his body were his entire team. Each and every one of them, not breathing, but each with a look of peaceful content on their faces.

" _Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"_ Serena screamed loudly, so loudly that her voice cracked and broke halfway through her scream of horror.

(The Present, Soul's PoV)

Soul sighed and glanced at Aria. **"After we found them, we called for help, doctors arrived as quickly as they could, but it was too late. They had died during the night. According to their reports, they all died at roughly the same time of the same cause, internal bleeding in the lungs. What confused them was that only David's lungs had been punctured, a screw from Team Flare's hidden HQ had done the damage. The rest of his team were in perfect health, apart from being dead. They reported to have suffered similar injuries to their trainer, but none of them showed any signs of being injured from the outside. It was as if the injuries appeared internally and so suddenly, leaving no scientific explanation to be had."**

" **The police assumed they were attacked, because absent among his team, was Xerneas, the legendary Pokemon that they had rescued. He was also missing his Mega Ring, and Lancelot his Mega Stone, as well as the Master Ball. Yet there was no evidence of anyone assaulting them, and none of the tracking Pokemon could pick up any scents besides David's and his team's scents, removing any possibility of theft. This only caused Serena even more distress, as she learned that her rival and his team were all dead, and there was no visible reason besides 'accidental death'."**

Aria looked sad as she heard the story, and out of necessity, waved one of her fluffy wings to try and comfort Soul. **"What happened after?"** She asked.

Soul glanced at the scene outside before resuming. **"After we discovered them dead, Serena called everyone together and told them the sad news. There was a funeral service, and everyone including his mother and her Rhyhorn were present. They were buried where they were found, and the area was transformed so that all could go and pay their respect. After they were buried, Serena was the last to leave, but before she did… we all made a vow alongside her to our Rivals…"**

He looked over at Aria and frowned sadly, never forgetting that vow. **"We vowed that we would become champions, and that we would never let anyone else take that title until we were too old and weak to fight for it. In Serena's eyes, the only other ones she considered worthy to become the next champion of Kalos, was David and his team. Now you know the story."** He sighed again and glanced at the scene outside. **"But I don't think she ever got over the loss of our rivals. We never once defeated them, and I think in her mind, that knowledge weighs her down more than anything else does. She became champion yes, but she believes that she is unworthy of the title, as long as she claims to have never once defeated her rival she will never believe in her own position as the Kalos Champion."**

Aria nodded and said that she was going to go to sleep as well, and thanked him for telling her the story. A flash of light later and Soul was all alone in the room, but soon enough he heard footsteps approaching, and then Serena walked in with a heavy sigh.

(Serena's PoV)

Serena kicked off her shoes, tossed her purse onto the chair, and walked over to the bed before falling onto it face first. Today had been a bad day, like always, the media poking fun at her, people gossiping behind her back, and now having to pay a ton of money to the Hotel for her 'negligence' in keeping her Pokemon under control. Sure enough, the media was going to report about how her team was out of control in a hotel, and that she was a poor example of a champion.

"Jerks…" She whispered as she turned over to look up at the ceiling.

As she stared up at the ceiling, her Absol walked over and climbed into the bed alongside her, a look of worry on his face. **"Sol?"**

"Not tonight Absol… I'm not in the mood." She said, turning over to look at the wall now, wanting to avoid the chance for even 'more' scandals to pop up for the media to talk about.

" **Sol…"** He said again, worry evident in his voice.

Serena sighed and relented, getting up and walking over to the windows and closing the blinds. Then she walked over to her purse and pulled out one of Clemont's inventions, something he called the Magnemite Electrical Cancelation Device. She turned it on and instantly, everything that had any sort of electrical circuit was shut off, evidenced by how the lights outside turned off.

It was basically an EMP device Clemont had made for her at her request. The radius of the EMP was small, only at most twelve feet in any direction, but it served her purposes to prevent any of the paparazzi from spying on her.

After that she reached into her purse again and pulled out her Poké Translator, and turned it on, putting it to her ear so that she could hear what Soul wanted to say. She was also grateful for Clemont giving her translator's circuits a special alloy to prevent it from being affected by the EMP of the other device.

With it on she went back to the bed, sat down and looked at her Mega even as he looked worriedly at her. "Alright, what's up Absol?"

" **The others are asking if we're going to the memorial again."** He said.

"So what if we are Absol." She said back to her mega. "If I want to visit our rival's grave again, it's my decision. I won't let some stupid paper or news report change my plans because of my image being poked fun of."

He nodded and clambered over her so that he was close to her face and able to look into her eyes. **"Very well, but you know Master… if you ever need someone to talk to… anyone… you can always talk to me no matter what the subject is."** He said to her in a gentle voice.

Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, and she responded by pushing into his.

This is another reason why she took such vacations, had such devices, because she secretly was in a relationship with a member of her team. Specifically, her Mega Absol, the most powerful member on her team, who just so happened to be the only one who understood her inside and out. Throughout their years and their travels together, he and he alone never judged her for who she was or what she did. He followed her faithfully and without reservations.

She hated the media, but thanks to the media, she and her Absol became lovers. It happened one day when Serena read paper after paper, each one criticizing her for taking extended vacations and refusing the constant dinner invites from the various stars and famous people of Lumiose. It had gotten to the point where she was crying angrily at both herself and everyone else, and in a fit of anger she tried to give up her trainer career so the media would leave her alone.

But while her team was urging her to stop and reconsider, he alone acted instead of speaking, and shoved her on the floor, pinned her down with both paws, and shoved his lips onto hers.

After much talking, he explained that he couldn't take seeing her angry and distressed, and was willing to do anything to cheer her up. Even if it meant finally confessing his feelings and hoping she would reconsider giving up their Champion life. After a week of thinking, debating, and talking to her team, she finally accepted his feelings and reciprocated them.

That very same night she answered his feelings, they became more than mere Mega Evolution Partners, they became 'Mates for life'.

But their love had one downside, Pokemon and Human relationships were frowned upon in Kalos, considered illegal and anyone found was considered to be abusing their Pokemon and trainer privileges. Anyone convicted of Pokephelia, was instantly arrested, their licenses revoked, and any Pokemon turned over to the Pokemon League where they would be put up for adoption, never to see that trainer again. If the media ever learned that she was involved with her Absol, they might take him away from her, and she'd never see him again.

Thus the reasons for the EMP device Clemont made for her.

After she kissed her Absol for a few minutes, feeling calm now, she watched him get off the bed and walk over to his Pokeball, which was lined up with the rest of her team. "You'd think after being in a relationship with me for over ten years, you'd stop calling me 'Master'."

Her Absol glanced back at her just before he tapped his ball and stared sadly at her. **"You'd think after being my mate for over ten years… you'd have called me something else… besides 'Asbol', Master."**

With that, he turned to his Pokeball, tapped it with his nose, and was absorbed into the ball in a bright beam of light. Leaving Serena alone to sleep for the night. She sighed and once more, cursed at the media for everything, before she put her translator down and prepared for sleep.

=The Rival Team=

(Lancelot's PoV)

 **(Focus master, watch your left flank!)** Lancelot said as he struck at David as gently as he could, not enough to hurt him but enough to ensure his human friend reacted.

"Got it!" He said instantly, blocking the attack with his arm and counter attacking with his other arm.

However Lancelot easily saw it coming and merely dodged it by moving his head a little, then he countered with a sweep of his feet to try and trip his trainer. Surprisingly, he did indeed manage to dodge it, but Lancelot caught him off guard by using his tail to perform the job that his feet didn't do. With a sweep of his tail he knocked over David, causing him to fall flat on his back, and allowing Lancelot to finish the 'battle' by extending his pawed hand and hold it over him, as if he were about to use an Aura Sphere point blank.

 **(A good try master, but remember, a Pokemon rely on more than just their paws or feet.)** He said with a smile as he helped David up. **(We rely on our teeth, our claws, our tails, everything! You humans have only your legs and hands when your mind isn't being tested. Don't forget to watch out for a Pokemon's tail, if that Pokemon has one.)**

"Ugh… noted." David said as he stood up and massaged his back, amid chuckles and applause from the various Pokemon in the lake chamber. "How about we get something to eat, I'm starving after all of that training! Now I know how you guys feel when you spend all day training for battles."

 **(It's not easy is it master?)** He chuckled to him. **(You humans have it easy, we do all the work, and all you have to do is the planning!)**

Lancelot was teaching David self-defense in the lake chamber because it had the most space available to them. However it did not grant privacy, something he knew his master wished for at that moment when a group of Luxrays giggled at their leader being beaten by his bodyguard.

But one look from said bodyguard silenced their giggles.

Ever since winter set in, the pack as a whole has been cooped up in the den, with only a few actively guarding the entrance and others leaving only to stretch and get about. Since then they've stayed in the den to keep warm, and any of the pack's members that can't handle the cold have also taken shelter in their den. This would go on for the next few months until spring comes, and they could resume their routine of foraging for food again.

With so many pack members present in the den, there was hardly any place they could go for privacy aside from their living chambers, which weren't large enough for such sparring practice. Thanks to their sparring however, it was becoming more difficult to maintain David's image as a 'strong' leader, as whenever they spar, despite the progress he was making, he looked clumsy compared to his sparring partner.

More often these days, Lancelot has had to silence many members of the packs from asking him why he obeyed a clearly 'weaker' human, when by all rights, he was clearly the strongest Pokemon in the pack. While they viewed him as a kind leader, his weakness physically was becoming more blatantly obvious each day when he sparred with Lancelot.

For once he figured Karen was in the right this time, not only were the self-defense lessons a waste of time so long as he and Karen were with him, they were making him look weaker with each observation to the pack's members.

 _ ***Like I'll tell her that.***_ He thought to himself as they walked over to a small sled laden with berries and other fruit at the water's edge.

As they reached they grabbed their food he shifted his glance over to the entrance to Xerneas' chamber, and saw a small meadow starting to grow out from it. **(If Xerneas uses anymore of her power, eventually she's going to overrun this den with plant life.)** He said to David with a laugh.

"You want me to stop her from doing what she does naturally Lance?" David asked as they walked away from the sled, and over toward where Terrance was deep in conversation with a Lefeon and Glaceon.

Lancelot recognized the pair as Icicle and Floral, a pair of Eeveelutions that have been trying to catch his eye for some time now. This made him groan silently to himself as he figured they were probably asking Terrance for advice on how to get his attention. _***Being bonded to a human sure has its downsides, especially when it comes to choosing a mate.***_ He thought privately as they approached the Lapras and Eeveelutions. _***I just can't bring myself to pick a mate based on her looks or strength alone like any 'Wild' Pokemon can.***_

It's become quite common knowledge among the females of the pack that he is, in fact, still hasn't claimed a mate for his own. With his reputation for being a very strong and loyal Pokemon, nearly every female that is looking for a mate has been trying to tempt him to claim them. One day a pair of Ninetales were showing off the color of their tails to 'each other' while he was passing by. The day after some Vulpix's tried showing off how cute their own tails were to 'each other', while he was meditating in the meeting chamber. Later that same day a Mightyena and Luxray were comparing the strength they each had in their legs, again to 'each other', while he was exercising his aura skills.

As much as he wanted to pick a mate, if for no other reason than so that the pack's females would leave him alone, he just couldn't pick any of them.

Once they approached Icicle and Floral, both Eeveelutions bowed respectfully to him, traded words of greetings, and left quickly, again glancing back at Lancelot with giggles.

"So what was that about Terrance?" David asked the Lapras.

" **They were just asking me about what Lance likes and dislikes."** He said with a smirk at Lancelot. **"If you ask me, someone is becoming quite popular around here. Speaking of mates, I heard you finally mated with Karen David."**

"I take it she told you?" David said as he climbed on top of Terrance's shell.

" **Told me, she hasn't stopped gloating about it to every female in the pack who will listen to her."** Terrance said with a chuckle while Lance jumped onto his shell as well. **"So does this mean you're planning on taking 'another' Prime Mate leader?"**

"Uh… no…" He said. "She would rather remain my bodyguard she said…"

" **Your bodyguard with 'benefits' to the one she's guarding?"** Terrance chuckled as he swam away from shore and out into the middle of the lake so they can have privacy. **"Yea, she told me as well leader. Karen loves to gossip, she just won't stop talking about it. All of the females are jealous of her, although…"** He looked back at them and grinned at Lancelot now, causing him to blush as he felt what he was about to talk about through their bond with Xerneas. **"If you ask me, I think more than a 'few' females in the pack would like to have a certain Lucario for their mate."**

Lancelot, unwilling to retort back at the Lapras for his comment, simply looked away and ate his food in silence.

They ate their food in silence while Terrance floated lazily around in the center of the lake. After a while though, Lancelot once again felt his master thinking about the same topic they were just talking about.

"What was your mate like Terrance, I've never asked about it before but what was she like?" He asked Terrance.

" **My mate? Well, when I first met her she was the prettiest little Lapras to ever roam Route 12's water."** Terrance replied. **"She was called Serene, and she was a shy one, always tended to avoid people and even other Pokemon if ever given the chance. Took me several seasons before I finally caught her attention and we became mates, but one season after we did, we had our first egg."**

" **Did you guys know that she has a fear of deep water?"** He asked them with a smile. **"Can you believe that, a Lapras, lives in the water her whole life, and she has a fear of 'deep' water. Still, she was a caring Lapras, after our third egg we spent years raising our family, traveling up and down Route 12's river. I learned a lot of stories from the Pokemon and even some humans passing by. Of course she always stayed away whenever I decided to talk to people, and made sure our young never got near them, but after a few tries I finally got her to loosen up and let them see other Pokemon and humans, besides just other Lapras."**

As he talked Lancelot noticed that Terrance began to gain a look of sadness on his normally cheery face, and through their bond he sensed the reason for the sadness. **(Do you miss your mate Terrance?)** He asked the Lapras.

He nodded slowly. **"I miss her every day Lancelot."** He replied. **"Each day I know that she is out there, singing for me, makes me sing and long for her as well. But I can't go back to her now, not now that I've found you guys. I wouldn't even if I could, it would be too painful for her…"**

(Terrance's PoV)

"Why did you pick me over your family Terrance? I mean you clearly loved her and were happy to be with her, but why did you choose to leave them?" David asked him, after a brief pause.

Terrance glanced back at David before nodding in understanding. **"You wonder, why I chose to abandon my family and search for my 'other family', don't you."** He asked. **"I did it because, deep down, I knew that somewhere out there, you guys were waiting for me. I wanted to be with you guys very much, you were my family, before I had a family. Even though I loved my Serene, she and our young just couldn't fill a void in my heart and soul."**

It was a constant struggle that he has had to live with since the day he abandoned them, in that very same river on Route 12 where he had first met David in their previous life. **"For years, after we had our third egg, my dreams kept telling me that something was missing in my life. No matter what I said to myself, I knew that something wasn't right, that someone who should have been in my life, wasn't in my life. It wasn't just a human either, there were others that should have been there."** He looked down at his reflection, and stared at his sad expression. **"Each night I would sing the same mournful songs that my kind sings when we are alone. Even though I had my family around me all the time, I was alone on the inside. I know now why that is, but back then I couldn't explain to them why I wanted or had to leave. But each time I wanted to leave, I convinced myself to stay, and as time went on, the pain only grew worse and the dreams became clearer and clearer."**

" **One night, a few months before I met Lucy on the seaside trail of Route 8, I was singing my songs of longing when my mate finally spoke to me about it. She told me… that she wanted me to be happy, and that she knew I wasn't happy without my 'other family'. I asked her about our young, and what about me abandoning them."** He cried a little as he remembered her gentle smile, her gentle and understanding smile that she gave him that last time she saw him. **"She told me that, she loved me, and even though she would miss me, she said she'd be happy no matter what I did. Whether I stayed with her and our young, or left to find you guys, she'd be happy either way. She would tell our young and help them understand why I left, but she wanted me to be happy."** He sniffed a little as he blinked to get the tears out of his eyes before turning to look back at his friends. **"So that same night, not wanting to prolong our goodbye, I nuzzled her one last time before I left the river. The last sound I heard from her, was her own voice singing mournfully as I left. Months later I met Lucy as she too was searching for a human and others, and like me, she had an 'X' mark, and well… you know the rest of that story."**

David nodded as he rubbed the back of Terrance's neck to try and comfort the Lapras. "I'm sorry Terrance… I wish there was something we could do…" He said to him.

" **It's alright my friend… I've made my peace and have accepted this fate."** He said with a sad smile. **"I will outlive my mate and our young, I will outlive my young's young, and their young, and 'their' young."** He gave a sad chuckle as he gave them a sad smile. **"Being immortal sure has its perks… but the downsides sure are apparent once you get past the benefits. I can't go back to my mate ever again, it would be too painful for her, to know that the one she loves will still be young and alive, long after all that remains of her is her shell. Besides… I have you guys, and deep down that was all I wanted in life. As long as I have you guys with me in my life, I don't mind living forever."**

(Lancelot's PoV)

"Yea… it probably is for the best that we don't go back to our old friends and family…" David said sadly, and now Lancelot felt his sorrow through the link. "My family can't ever know that I'm immortal. After learning about my previous life, I don't think I could ever face everyone I once knew again… It would be too painful seeing them, and knowing that they'll all age and die, and I might have to watch them while I continue to remain the same."

 **(Agreed…)** Lancelot said sadly, remember Korinda, his old master. **(I wish I could see what becomes of Korinda, but now that I know I'll outlive her and her lineage, I'd rather not. I'd rather not have to see her grow old and weak like her mother will, while I remain the same as I did the day I left her.)**

All three of them sighed sadly as they felt even worse with their shared sadness. **"Now that I think about it, perhaps its best that you and you alone claim Karen, Lucy and Sophia. Better to be with someone you love for all eternity than with someone whom you will outlive."** Terrance said before glancing at Lancelot and grinning at him. **"At least you can get lucky with Karen, poor Lance here doesn't have a chance with how weak he is compared to her."**

 **(I am NOT weak!)** Lance shouted angrily.

"That's not what she says!" David chuckled as he and Terrance laughed at his outburst.

 **(That little Braixen can barely keep up with me let alone beat me!)** Lancelot said, angrily hitting Terrance's shell by mistake in his frustration.

" **Owwwww!"** Terrance yelled painfully as he flinched in pain. **"Watch… the shell… I'm the one carrying you out in the middle of a two hundred feet deep lake!"**

"Ow man… Lance that punch hurts…" David complained as he grabbed at his back, also flinching in pain.

 **(Ugh… sorry…)** Lance said apologetically, also feeling his own back spaz in pain. **(So that's what my own punch feels like… now I know how Scar felt when I kicked him so hard…)**

Oh yes, there were definitely downsides to this hole pact with Xerneas, Lancelot thought as they recovered from his mistake. Immortality is nice and all, but as Lancelot rubbed his back and tried to ignore the stinging pain he caused not only them, but the others as well, he figured Xerneas could have left a 'few' things out of it.

 _ ***But Terrance is right… no matter what… I can't in good heart… pick a mate when I will outlive her life span a hundred times.***_ He thought sadly, grateful for the fact that their pain was distracting them from his thoughts. _***No matter how young or beautiful a female in this pack may be, no matter how smart or kind she is, it is better that we immortals, remain only with other immortals. And Terrance is also right… it's best if Karen and the other two be with our master, than with any other.***_

He thought about Karen, and silently regretted that he didn't try and claim her sooner.

If perhaps he had made a move sooner, he might have had a mate to himself, instead of being the only one in their group without one to their name.

"So why didn't you try asking Karen out?" David asked suddenly.

 **(Huh?)** Lance said, completely unaware that they had heard him.

"You forget Lance, we can hear your thoughts if you don't try to keep them private." He said. "So, same question, how come you never tried with Karen? After traveling with her for so long, I figured you two would have gotten really close. But she told me you weren't her type, as much as she liked you."

Lancelot nodded and glanced over the side of Terrance's shell to stare at the water's surface. **(She means her 'fetish', her 'type' of a mate is not another Pokemon but a Human.)** He told them. **(But I did at one point, think of taking her as my mate… but I was too slow to consider the possibility. By the time I did, she had developed her interest in mating with a human, and from that moment on, I never considered her again.)**

There was silence from them as Terrance lazily drifted in the water. **"How did it happen?"** Terrance asked.

Lancelot glanced up at them, before looking back at his reflection in the water again. **(It happened into the fourth year of our combined search for you Master.)** He said, recalling the memory like it had happened the day before. **(It was her fourth year of searching for you, but for me it was my fifteenth year. When I first saw her, it was like a miracle from Arceus himself, as if the Alpha Pokemon had descended from the Hall of Origins and given me the gift of a companion, someone else to talk to who was like me. She was all I wanted at that point, a friend, someone who shared my dreams and goals.)** He looked up at the ceiling as he smiled mournfully, remembering how he had discovered Karen's 'fetish' by accident, and how it crushed his dream of her potentially becoming his mate. **(On that night, nearly three years ago, she had taken up a night watch to try and find potential trainers who might be our master…)**

(Flashback, Lancelot's PoV)

Lancelot was watching the night sky as they found a decent place to sleep for the night on Route 18, near Anistar City, where trainers went to get their seventh badge for the Pokemon League. They were currently resting in the shade of a waterfall, where in the distance they could see a bridge where they were sure, every single trainer that had to pass through this area, had to cross that bridge. It was here they were hoping to try and find their true trainer out of the hundreds of other trainers.

" _ **Nnnng, alright Lance, you go get some sleep."**_ Karen said as she stretched her arms and legs. _**"I'm going to go and keep an eye out for night travelers, I'll holler if I see him."**_

" _ **Very well."**_ He spoke back to her, not needing to use his telepathy to speak. _**"Be careful, don't want to risk getting captured again."**_

" _ **You say that all the time worrywart!"**_ She said with a chuckle as she tapped her Pokeball necklace. _**"So long as I have this, I'm safe from being 'recaptured'. Be back later big guy!"**_

He chuckled at her calling him 'big guy', when he was only taller than her by maybe a couple of inches. As she left he remembered that as winter was drawing near, so too was her heat cycle, signaling that she was ready to mate and procreate. As he sat by the waterfall watching it, he began asking himself if he should take this time to at least, propose the idea, of him and Karen becoming mates.

" _ **It's been what, four years since we started traveling together?"**_ He asked quietly, remembering how a month ago he was on the verge of just giving up in his, at the time, 'futile' quest. _**"If she hadn't reaffirmed my belief in us finding our master, I wouldn't be here today… she's strong… stronger than I give her credit. Just as I was about to abandon this quest, she restores my faith in what we are doing…"**_

He blushed slightly as he suddenly pictured them raising a family while 'still', searching for their master. Though he had never considered the prospect of actually mating her before, now however he actually felt like he wanted to. When he had first met her, he was overjoyed, he had someone else to talk to, someone who believed in his cause and shared the same goal. They had traveled together, and for the first time he had a friend who was exactly like him.

" _ **Would she want me though?"**_ He asked nervously as he got up, deciding to, at the very least, propose the idea to her and see what she thought about it. _**"Well, I need to at least ask her… if we're going to be traveling for a long time together, I should at least know where she stands with me."**_

As he walked down the same path that she took, he changed his vision and looked around for her specific aura, and spotted hers on a small ledge overlooking what looked like a small camp. As he climbed up to where she was, disguised by various shrubs and bushes as well as a large rock, he felt a strange and peculiar smell hit his nostrils. Something about that smell triggered his instincts, and was telling him to head away from the smell, but he was determined to speak to Karen while he had his courage.

When he was close enough to hear her, he heard soft moans reach his ears, and he paused in approach only for a moment, before resuming. When she was in vision, he saw why she was moaning.

She was pleasuring herself as she looked down on the small camp, and as he glanced down as well, unseen by Karen, he saw that she was watching a human and a Serperior mating. More specifically, a human female and a male Serperior.

" _ **Oh… it must feel so good…"**_ Karen moaned as she continued to watch the two mating. _**"He must be feeling so wonderful… mating his master… pleasing her and being loved… knowing that no other males will touch her because of him!"**_

The way she spoke sparked a memory of Lancelot's, something about how when Serperiors mate, they leave a special scent on their chosen mate that drives all other male Pokemon away. Essentially the only ones who can touch a Serperior's mate are the ones strong enough to resist that scent. To be a Serperior's mate essentially places you really high in Pokemon society, as they only choose the best in their eyes to be their mates.

" _ **I want my master to do that for me… to mate with me like that…"**_ Karen said blissfully as she leaned forward to get a better look, still pleasuring herself as the Serperior began to pound his human female even as she locked lips with him.

Lancelot had seen enough, and with a heavy heart and a mental slap, he climbed down the ledge and walked back to where she had left him.

" _ **Well… at least I know where she stands with me…"**_ He said sourly, knowing that she was forever out of his reach now.

(The Present, Lancelot's PoV)

He sighed and glanced over at his master. **(After I found out, I just ignored her when she went on her nightly rounds 'searching' for you. I never considered her a potential mate after that.)** He said. **(I knew then that she wanted to be with you, and not me, so I never thought about asking her ever again.)**

" **That and your still not strong enough for her."** Terrance said with a chuckle.

 **(Do you want me to smash your shell?)** Lancelot asked the Lapras angrily.

They both chuckled at his outburst before he joined in with them, knowing they were only poking fun at him to diverse from the sad talk. "So what kind of a mate are you looking for Lance?" David asked him curiously.

 **(What kind of mate… well… she wouldn't have to be a beauty by any means, but beautiful to me.)** He said. **(She'd have to be… kind… polite… intelligent as well as caring…)**

" **I'm sorry to spoil this Lance… but Lucy's already taken."** Terrance said with a laugh.

"Yea, sorry Lance, but as much as I would let you try, Lucy isn't interested in anyone else but me." David said with a laugh.

He blushed deeply at them comparing his 'ideal' mate to Lucy, but quickly looked away before they could see his blush grow even redder.

The truth was, he already had an ideal mate in mind, but even knowing how half of the pack's females were trying to get his attention, he still couldn't bring himself to try anything.

 _ ***Not only that but… never mind…***_ He thought, shaking away the image of a beautiful Froslass that suddenly popped into his head.

More specifically, an image of a familiar Froslass, that had her arms around him, and her lips upon his own.

 _ ***It's not like I have a chance with 'her' anyway, I should just be happy that she has a mate she has been with for a long time.***_ He thought to himself as Terrance began to swim back to shore so they could train some more. _***Even if he doesn't deserve a beauty like her.***_


	25. Chapter 21

_*To find value in one's own life…*_

 _*One must often find value in another's life…*_

 _*But is this true for all?*_

=Chapter 21, The Value of One's Life=

=Sophia's Regrets=

(Sophia's PoV)

Sophia watched her master from the comfort of her small bed as he spoke to Lucy as well as Yara and nera in their chamber, today's topic was, as it has been since winter set in two weeks ago, staving off boredom from being idle. Because most of the pack was idly taking shelter in the den, there was no real need for him and Lucy to direct members to do anything real important besides the obvious ones of assigning guards to the entrance. He was asking what he was supposed to do during these months as 'leader', as up until then he hadn't had much to do once winter set in. Yet the twins had no advice to give him besides, 'Do as you wish', since their situation was the same as other packs during this time of year.

The only other duties he really had also were meeting with some of the elders individually, as they often took this idle time to discuss the issues and problems the pack members have had during the year.

As the twins left they said they would be waiting outside for him should he decide to leave, leaving Lucy and David to discuss how to waste their time.

Lucy's idea to waste time was simple and straight forward, mate with her. Or even spice it up and mate with other females as well as her. Something Sophia wouldn't have minded because it has been a while since he claimed her, but also because he hasn't spent much time with her.

With David taking training sessions with Lancelot to teach him to fight off, or at the very least, protect himself better against attacks he was spending less and less time with her, something she had begun to take notice of in recent months. He hasn't cuddled with her while eating like he used to when they were in their cabin still. Nor has he brushed her fur as frequently as he used to at her request, and because of this her fur was now in shambles. No longer was she a prim and proper Furfrou with well-trimmed fur, she looked like any other wild or stray Furfrou.

In fact, now that she thinks about it, he's barely talked to her as much as he used to. It was as if she was once again, nothing more than his 'pet poodle' in the world.

She sighed, feeling depressed that, as she had felt in her previous life, she was once again 'unneeded' in her master's life.

"Is something wrong Sophia?" David asked her suddenly.

" **Huh?"** She barked, snapping out of her thoughts to look up at him.

"We can feel what you're feeling Sophia, remember?" He said. "So what's wrong?"

" **Nothing darling… I'm just thinking about stuff…"** She said quickly.

" **Normally when a female in this pack says their just 'thinking', it usually means one of two things…"** Lucy said with a grin. **"It usually means they don't want to talk about it with those present, or simply want to talk about it with a certain 'someone'."**

Sophia sighed and got up. **"I don't want to talk about it right now darling, alright?"** She said unhappily. **"I'm going to get something to eat, care to join me?"**

"Sure, I'm a little hungry as well." He said, getting up and stretching.

" **Uh David, did you forget, you're supposed to be meeting with some of the elders in a while."** Lucy said. **"You know how the elders get when you put off what they've got to say to you, they just talk even longer when you finally do."**

"Oh, yea, I completely forgot about that…" He said.

" **It's alright darling, duties are important."** Sophia said with a forced chuckle. **"I'll just go and get something for myself then. I'll see you later."**

As she left the chamber, both Yara and Nera bowed respectfully to her and asked if they could help her in any way. However she told them no, that she was just going to get something to eat, and left them to stand guard with Karen at the entrance to David's chamber.

While she walked through the tunnel and toward the lake chamber, she saw various members of the pack going this way and that. Many bowed respectfully to her, addressed her as 'Second Prime Mate', and stayed out of her way. Despite not having any real power as David's Second Prime Mate, she knew they had to respect her simply because of her position in the pack's hierarchy. Yet she sighed sadly, knowing that even though she had this position, it still only said one thing to her.

She had no purpose here in this pack, other than being the leader's second wife.

She turned the corner as she reached the main tunnel to the lake chamber, and saw an aged Umbreon with silver and gold rings walking rather slowly toward it as well. She recognized the Umbreon as Elder Yin, and quickly sped up to see what he was doing walking to the lake chamber.

" **Elder Yin!"** She said, causing him to pause and glance back at her.

" **Ah… Second Prime Mate, how are you?"** He asked with a kind smile.

" **Alright I suppose, but what are you doing?"** She asked as he resumed his slow walk. **"Why are you out here walking around at your age, shouldn't you be resting up and waiting for my master to meet with you?"**

" **Getting food and water just like everyone else."** He said. **"I'm not needed to speak with the leader today, and at least one Elder at any time must be seen by the pack at this time. How else am I to help them with their problems?"**

" **But at your age you should have Pokemon attending you and helping you!"** She said in amazement as she easily kept pace with the slow moving elder. **"You should have an attendee aiding you at all times. An old Pokemon like yourself who has lived for many years deserves such treatment for all you've done."**

Yin chuckled as he glanced at her. **"Perhaps… but if we did that, we would inspire laziness in the older Pokemon."** He said calmly. **"An Elder's duty is to set examples for the younger ones, and pass on the lessons that we have learned, so that they may pass them on when we have passed away. That is my task here in the pack, and when the next generation of Elders come forth, it will be their task as well."**

With his last words she felt a pang of sadness hit her again, as she realized that even this aging Umbreon, who is slowly walking to get himself a meal, has more worth than she does being the Second Prime Mate. At that realization, she felt even more depressed because it just reaffirmed what she thought earlier. Even after Xerneas gave her a second life, she was still just as 'unneeded' at her master's side as she was in her first life.

" **What is the matter young Prime Mate?"** Yin said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

" **Nothing's wrong elder…"** She said as they entered the lake chamber.

" **I have lived for many seasons young Prime Mate, I know the face of one who is depressed about something."** He said wisely and politely. **"As an elder, you can talk to me about anything and I will do my best to help you. There is very little that I have not experienced that I cannot help with."**

As they walked over to one of the sleds to get some food, she thought about her problem, and wondered if perhaps she could ask him. Deciding that she had nothing to lose, she took a gamble and told him. **"I'm just… sad."** She said to him.

" **There is always a reason for sadness…"** He said through a mouthful of berry.

" **It's just that… lately… my mate hasn't spent much time with me."** She said. **"Between his duties for the pack, his lessons from his bodyguard, and other things, he just doesn't talk to me like he used to."** She sighed and glanced at Yin. **"It almost makes me wish that we never came to this pack, never found the others, and none of this ever happened. Sure we were alone in that dinky cabin, but at least we had each other and we spent time with one another. And… at least I had a purpose… even if it was a small one…"**

" **I see…"** He said as he finished eating, looking at her with a frown. **"What was your life like… before coming here?"**

As she ate her own food, mostly to delay talking about it, she thought about what life was like back then. She expected Elder Yin to be slightly impatient at her for delaying answering his question, but looked more than content to sit and wait for her to talk.

" **Back then… it was just me and him."** She started saying. **"Each day we were almost always together. While he was growing up I was his family's pet Furfrou, but I was his best friend in the whole of Lumiose City. I couldn't follow him everywhere growing up, but I did my absolute best to try."** She chuckled as she remembered how, growing up, she was also his personal guard dog. **"What I also did was protect him from bullies, jerks, and just anyone trying to be mean to him. I couldn't really hurt anyone that much, at most a bite here a growl there, maybe scare off some punk trying to hurt him. But I always made sure he was safe… as if our lives depended on it."**

" **I also was the one he went to if ever he needed to just, go and talk to someone about anything."** She said, remembering their many long, nightly, one sided conversations when he was bored and frustrated with homework or anything else. **"It didn't matter what was on his mind, I was always there to just listen to his problems, offer encouragement, or even let him cry his tears on my fur until he fell asleep. When he was old enough and ready to move on in life, he took me with him, and nothing really changed between us. I was his pet poodle, his best friend, and guard dog."** She sighed as she looked back and wish she had done a better job learning to speak Lumiose, sure she knew a fair decent number of words, but she only spoke 'broken' Lumiose. **"In time I fell in love with him, but because I didn't know how human and Pokemon relationships were treated, I never tried to push myself on him. But if ever he wanted me for any reason, be it love, lust, or simply sexual frustration… I would have given myself to him in a heartbeat."**

" **I never really did anything else back then, I just followed him wherever he went, like his faithful pet companion. I followed him everywhere, growing up I snuck out and followed him to school, when he was in high school I did the same thing. Even as an adult I tried to be with him and go where he went, but now… now it just feels like… I have no reason to be here…"** She looked at the ground and sighed. **"Lancelot and Karen are far better guards than I could be… and he has Lucy to talk to about his problems. What good am I now that he has the others…?"**

All the while she talked, Yin was silently listening and taking in her every word, not talking and letting her speak her mind. **"So you are sad, because you feel as if you have no value to the one you love?"** He asked at last. **"That is indeed a sad thing, there is a course of action I can offer you for your position…"**

" **Really?"** She asked hopefully.

" **Yes… and the first one is this… leave him."** He said bluntly.

" **Leave him?"** She said, horrified at the 'advice' this elder was giving her. **"What are you saying? Leave my master, the one who raised me and cared for me all of my life?"**

Yin nodded sadly as he got up. **"It sounds bad yes, but for us wild Pokemon, being useless is the worst thing we can experience."** He said. **"We take pride in our independence, we take pleasure knowing that we have a task that must be done and that we must carry out. Even if that task is as simple as watching the entrance to our pack's den, or even just keeping a forager safe from attack, we take pride in performing it."** He looked down at his paws, and extended his pitiful claws, no longer sharp and extremely blunt due to his old age. **"It is when we have no purpose, that we feel devastated in our life. Any wild Pokemon will always choose to leave to find a purpose, than simply remain where they are unneeded or unwanted."**

He put his claws back and looked back at Sophia with an even sadder frown on his face. **"Even we elders strive to be useful to our pack in some way, each and every day. No matter what, even if all we do is talk to give advice or voice the opinions of our pack members, we take that duty with the same seriousness we did with tasks in our younger years. That is why I walk here, each day, to get food and water for myself, instead of having a lesser member bring it to me. I want to know that I am useful, in some way, because when the day comes that I am unwanted in this pack, is the day I know my life is at an end…"**

" **I am sorry for giving you such advice, but I am merely a Wild Pokemon, I know not how a 'tamed' Pokemon would act in your position. However… if I were in your position, and I had no purpose in the life of my Pack's leader… I would leave. You may live forever young Prime Mate, but if you have no reason to be here… then why are you even here to begin with?"** He turned and prepared to leave, but as he did he glanced back at her with his frown. **"Think about why you are here… and decide if that is a good enough reason to be here… that is all the advice I can offer you."**

With that he turned and walked slowly out of the lake chamber, occasionally stopping to share greetings with some of the pack members, but otherwise not remaining there.

Sophia however, looked out into the water at Terrance as he laughed and spoke to a huge group of young Pokemon pups, all of whom were listening intensely as he told one of his many stories to them. Not only was he the guard for the underwater entrance to the lake chamber, he was also a storyteller for the young ones. And all of them looked up to the Lapras and eagerly awaited the next time they were brought out from the nursery by Gentaal.

 _ ***Even Terrance has more value here than I do… and he's stuck swimming around here in the lake…***_ She thought bitterly, getting up and walking toward her master's chamber, no longer feeling hungry.

(David's PoV, five minutes later)

"Very well elders, I'll keep that in mind when spring comes." He said as the elders prepared to leave the room one at a time.

The meeting with the elders had been short, which surprised him greatly, as normally they would have had him talking for hours on end. However this meeting was only to tell him about how the pack views him in regards to how they viewed Scar.

They informed him that many of the pack saw him as being too 'gentle' when it came to leading them, that he didn't inspire any intimidation when dealing with other packs. Yet in contrast to other packs, and even some of his own pack's members, his pack saw him as a kind leader, one they had absolute faith and trust in to care for them and lead them well. His standing among them was good so far, but some of the members feared that if he was too kind, it would inspire their enemies and threats to pressure them.

" **Do so Leader."** Kuma said as he got up. **"Remember, our pack is full of Pokemon that admire strength, kindness alone does not equate to loyalty. Though they follow you now, if you prove to be too 'weak' in their eyes, one of them might challenge you for leadership."**

" **True Kuma, but also remember, kindness and fairness can equal even greater loyalty than strength and power."** Isis said with a smile as she passed David, giving him a wink with her blind eyes. **"Our pack may not acknowledge our leader as strong as any of them, despite defeating Scar in single combat, but as long as he treats them better than Scar, I foresee none of our pack's members daring to challenge his authority."**

" **It also helps that he has his guards protecting him at all times."** Nayru said as she also began to leave. **"Our pack has come to greatly respect and admire your Lucario companion Leader, and his loyalty to you seems unquestionable. So long as he remains your ally and resolute in his duty to you, so too will our pack's members."**

"That's good to know." He said, noticing that Jen and Yin were missing from the meeting.

According to the elders, only a few were needed to discuss the issues of the pack to the leader at any time, the rest were to continue their duties to the pack as elders as normal.

As they left the meeting room, he stretched his arms and walked out as well so that Karen could escort him back to his chamber. However as he left he saw Yin waiting outside with Karen.

"Elder Yin, can I help you?" He asked the elder Umbreon.

" **Yes leader, I have an issue about certain members of this pack to discuss with you…"** He said with a smile. **"If you'll just spare me a moment of your time…"**

He sighed as he heard that last one, knowing that Yin was probably going to take a while, out of all the elders he was the one who talked the most. "Very well Yin, what's up?" He asked.

(Sophia's PoV)

Sophia sat in her small bed, sighing as she tried to come to turns with the possibility of perhaps leaving her master. What Yin had said was true, she was useless, and if she was useless, why was she there then? To simply comment on what her master did or what the others say? To simply watch what others do instead of doing something herself?

Or even to simply have sex with her master whenever he felt in the mood, like a common 'bitch'. **"Everything was so different when we first came here…"** She said sadly, remembering how when they first arrived she had some purpose at least, even if it was just someone to talk to.

" **Oh don't be like that Sophia."** Lucy said, the Absol Prime Mate trying again to cheer her up. **"David loves you just as much…"**

" **Spare me your bavardage optimiste Lucy!"** Sophia barked angrily, before looking away sadly. **"He doesn't need me anymore… why when he has you and the others…"**

" **Uh… you do know I don't understand what you say when you talk all funny…"** She said.

" **Again… unneeded… spent all that time learning Lumiose talk one word at a time… and for what?"** She sighed bitterly. **"So that the only one who can understand me is the person who has a translator strapped to his ear?"**

"I always thought you sounded nice when you talked like that." A voice said, and she recognized it as David.

She looked up and saw her master walk in and sit down next to her, but she was so depressed that all she did was look away, feeling even worse.

"Lucy… think you can leave us alone for a bit?" She heard him ask his Absol mate.

Apparently Lucy nodded because she only heard the Absol's claws leaving and felt David start stroking her fur. She had to admit, it felt nice to feel his hands stroking her fur again, just like he did before back in their cabin.

"So I heard that a certain member of my pack is feeling unneeded?" He asked her quietly, continuing to stroke her fur.

" **Where did you hear that?"** She said sarcastically.

"A very old Umbreon told me in passing just a while ago." He said lightly. "He said he told you some sad advice, saying that you should leave if you were unneeded in my life."

" **Well I'm not needed…"** She said sadly, looking up at him but stopping as she saw how sad his eyes were. **"Master… why are you crying?"**

"Because I'm afraid you might actually leave Sophia." He said instantly.

" **Afraid?"** She said back. **"How can you be afraid that I'd leave? I can't leave, I wouldn't survive a day without you to take care of me."**

"I'm still afraid that you might actually leave me Sophia." He said, picking her up and putting her in his lap while still stroking her very messy fur. "Sophia… you have no idea how important you are to me. You're even more important than any of the others on our team to me."

" **But how… I'm useless here…"** She whispered sadly, remembering everything she told Yin. **"I can't fight like Lancelot or Karen, I have no power in the pack like Lucy, I can't take you anywhere or help you like Terrance, and I'm absolutely unneeded in your life… you'd be better off without me."** She looked down and started whimpering sadly. **"You could… get rid of me… and nobody else would care… or notice."**

"I would…" He replied. "Sophia… do you remember what we used to do during our winter nights back at our cabin?"

" **Of course… we would curl up by the fire for warmth… you'd read me lovely stories before bed while drinking hot chocolate."** She said, remembering those times fondly.

"And whenever one of my song lyrics got rejected?" He asked her.

She chuckled as she remembered the numerous times his writings were rejected. **"You'd complain and gripe to me for hours on end, and I'd listen to every word because I was the only one who would listen to you back then."**

"And what about the times when one of my songs got accepted?"

" **We always celebrated by spending all of our savings on a fancy dinner, and party all night as if we were rich like the Kalos Champion, without a care in the world."** She said with a laugh.

"Exactly…" He said, but now there was a hint of sadness in his voice. "You were with me throughout all of that! Through the good times and bad times, for better or worse you were there beside me. You would laugh with me, listen to me when I was down, and cheer me up when I needed it."

"And that's why I don't want to lose you… because if you're gone… then I lose the last precious thing I have from my old life." He said, now burying his face in her fur, just as he used to when he was really depressed about how he had failed a test miserably or when he received his last rejection letter he had been holding out hope was an acceptance letter. "Other than those few trinkets you brought from our cabin, those blankets and pillows and even your bed, the only thing I have left from when I was a writer is you! If I lose you then the only ties I'll have left with my past will be my memories… and I don't want to lose you."

"Even if it's just so we can talk… even if all you do is follow me around… please don't leave me Sophia." He said. "I told you before Sophia that I loved you as much as Lucy, and that's why I made you my second Prime Mate. So please… don't leave, because if you leave then I'll leave with you…"

Sophia whimpered only a little, before she started to nuzzle her lover's cheek with her own. **"Even though you're a big pack leader maître David, you still act like a child… when you're all alone and nobody's around to hear you but me."** She said to him. **"Well… you know what I always say maître…"**

"Yea… if it weren't for you… I'd forget to put my head on if it weren't stuck to my body." He said with a chuckle, before he looked into her eyes, no longer looking sad.

Then she smirked, and he smirked as well, as they both sensed what each other wanted to do with the other. After only a few seconds, they both leaned their faces closer to each other and locked lips with one another.

 _ ***Alright… I think I can live with this.***_ She thought happily as she wrapped her tongue around his. _***As long as my maître still needs me in his life, even if it's just to be there… that's enough of a purpose to satisfy me."**_

As they stopped tongue wrestling, she looked up to him and nodded her head over to the suitcase, which still had all of her brushes and cleaning materials. **"Maître David, do you think you can brush my fur… like you used to?"** She asked him politely. **"I have a lot of knots I need you to get rid of… and my coat is absolutely filthy with all of this dirt it's gained being underground for so many months. So do you think you could also give me a bath?"**

"Sure thing Sophia." He said with a smile.

" **And after that…"** She said with a sly grin, going over to her brush and bending over to 'pick it up', giving him a perfect view of her rear. **"If you do a 'good job'… I'll give you a 'reward'…"**

(Lucy's PoV)

" **So do you really think Sophia will leave?"** Lucy asked Karen as they sat outside, waiting for David to call either of them back into his chamber.

" **As if, that pampered poodle?"** Karen said with a chuckle. **"She can hardly go an hour without our master to take care of her. I bet you she'll be so terrified of leaving that she wouldn't even make it five steps past the den entrance."**

" **But what if she does?"** Lucy asked worriedly, causing Karen's smug grin to falter for a moment. **"She is right you know… she doesn't have a purpose here in the pack, aside from mating with David and bearing his pups. Even then, Xerneas took that away from us…"** She growled angrily, remembering how the legendary was denying them that gift, but she was still determined to get pregnant with David's first pup.

" **Yea… but I'm sure he'll find a way to convince her to stay!"** She said.

Moments later, she felt a sense of relief wash over her, as if a great fear had suddenly vanished. **"I think that's either our Sophia or David…"** Lucy said quietly. **"And it feels like our little Furfrou has finally changed her mind about leaving…"**

No less than twenty minutes later, Lucy felt a sudden wave of pleasure start coursing through her, more specifically her sex region. As if to confirm this, she heard the soft whimpers and moans of a Furfrou coming from inside the chamber, and it sounded like a very 'happy' Furfrou. **"Well… if that doesn't confirm it, nothing will."** Karen said with a chuckle. **"Guess our 'pet poodle' is sticking around after all."**

Lucy grinned as she heard the moans of pleasure from inside. **"Yep, and if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and join them…"** She said. **"After all, I'm the First Prime Mate, I should always be with our leader when he and the Second Prime Mate are mating, what about you?"**

" **I think I'll uh… stay out here… you know… make sure you guys have… privacy!"** Karen said with a blush.

" **Suit yourself."** Lucy said as she pranced past the Braixen and through the entrance to David's chamber.

=The Blind One's Scar=

(Isis' PoV)

" **Tell me young Lancelot, why have you requested an audience with me?"** She asked the Lucario sitting in front of her.

Though all she saw with her eyes was a world of darkness, her psychic powers were enhanced because of this. No longer restrained by what her eyes showed her, her ability to 'see' with her powers had increased to the point where she could see the others around her, similar to the way the Lucario in front of her saw auras. To her, he was this Pokemon radiating various colors of the rainbow, just as beautiful as Xerneas radiated when she first saw the mythical Pokemon.

" **How do you know it's me?"** Lancelot asked. **"I barely entered your personal chamber, and you already know it's me?"**

Isis chuckled in amusement, always knowing that she surprised her visitors with her visions. **"Even though my eyes cannot see who it is, I have long since memorized every single one of this pack's members. From the smallest newborn pup, to even us elders, if I have 'seen' them once, I make it my personal goal to memorize who they are and what species they are. And I remember you very well Lancelot, as do many of our pack's females."**

She couldn't tell if Lancelot was blushing, but by the awkward silence that followed her statement, she could guess his reaction.

" **Well… in any case elder… I came here to ask you about Scar."** He said.

At the name Scar, she stopped smiling widely and instead sighed in understanding. **"I see… why do you inquire about the previous leader, bodyguard to our current leader?"** She asked.

" **It's just that, I've spoken to the other elders, and they all said that you knew him the most out of all of the elders."** He said. **"I was just curious if you knew anything more about him, then the image I know him from, having fought him to protect my master just before he fled from the pack."**

" **In other words, you worry about your master's safety, and want to know more of your enemy even though he is no longer here."** She said instantly, reading between his words to find the hidden truth. **"Do not ever lie to me young Lancelot, though you will live forever like our leader and the others who are joined to the 'eternal life giver', until the day I die, I will still be far older than you. I have lived for a very long time, and have seen countless Pokemon live and die in this pack, and even though I am blind, I can still see with a greater clarity than you or any other."** She frowned at the Lucario before she continued, letting her words sink into the bodyguard. **"If you seek the advice of an elder, you must be truthful to us, or else we cannot aid you properly."**

There was silence before Lancelot spoke again. **"I see… forgive me elder Isis."** He said respectfully. **"I was just nervous about asking such things."**

" **That is acceptable… now what is it you ask of me?"** She asked him.

" **Why does he hate humans so much?"** He replied. **"When I first met him, I instantly saw that he hated all humans, yet it is known that he once had a Trainer of his own. How did his relationship with his trainer become so twisted that he now hates humans who don't even know of his existence, even those that mean him no harm? And also… why is he so cruel to those around him?"**

Isis listened to his words and sighed yet again, not liking where this topic was going to go, but knowing that the other elders were right. She and she alone knew Scar best out of everyone in the pack. Only his sons could know more, but one of them was banished, and the other avoided his father as much as possible.

Even now, Ardent was avoiding the leader's gaze as much as he could, but always making sure to help the pack however he must.

" **That tale is a long one."** She said, looking over at the beautiful colors that were Lancelot's figure. **"It all started the day I first met him… the day he first arrived in our pack…"**

 _(Isis' memories'_

 _[Listen to this in the background for the most effect for this scene. /watch?v=3CAWQwm3prU ]_

 _She remembered that day like it was yesterday and explained it in great detail to Lancelot. Scar had arrived into their pack's territory, with a great scar across his face. A mark he had received when he had lashed out against his trainer in a fit of rage. His trainer had been a weakling in his eyes, a poor excuse for one competing in the competition. So he had wanted to escape, but the only way to do that was by assaulting his trainer, and the rest of the team had fought back, thus the reason for the scar._

 _He had been desperate, trying to find a place to live, and because of his experience battling trained Pokemon, the previous leader to Scar had accepted him in. At first he was a typical Houndoom, strong and fierce, with the same mentality of the strong following the stronger as his kind believed. It seemed like he would make a great addition to the pack's strength._

" _ **I was of course an elder back then as well, but I was only into my seventh year as one. When I first saw him, I offered him guidance and council… but the moment I offered it to him, I had a flash of a vision come to me."**_ _She said._ _ **"In it… I saw our leader slain in combat by Scar. Sure enough, soon after, my vision came true. When he took the role of leader, he took a female Houndoom as his mate… you don't know her, but I knew her well."**_

 _She remembered the female Houndoom, she was a young female, a just matured female that had caught his eye. She was a caring member before Scar claimed her, and this was what made her unique compared to the other Houndooms in the pack. Their species was known for intimidation and strength, so her being gentle set her apart, and this is what attracted her to him. At first it seemed like she and he would live a good life, but after their first season together, she gave birth to two eggs, and from those two eggs came his two sons Ardent and Vicious, it all began to fall apart._

" _ **Alas… she did not survive the birth… for fate had decreed that she die it seemed.**_ _ **She had delivered the two eggs at exactly the same time, and both caused her great pain upon being birthed into the world. The pain was too much for her, and she died without even seeing the faces or hearing the mewling of her two pups being born. Scar was saddened by this, and through his sorrow, he named his two sons, Ardent and Vicious."**_

 _She talked of how during one stormy night, when he sat outside of the den, ignoring the stinging pain as the thunder sounded in the distance, she had tried to council him of the pack's needs and the various decrees the council recommended he implemented. Yet, he instantly barked back that he did not need her council, that he knew what was necessary for the pack's safety already. So instead, she obeyed and simply hoped he did indeed know what was for the best._

 _Throughout his next year as Pack Leader, he had watched as his pack's number dwindle ever so slightly, as did the numbers of other packs from various trainers capturing Pokemon. For what use, they did not know, but this only drove Scar to protect his own pack from them, and so began the practice of cautioning them and warning them about the dangers of humans._

" _ **He said that Humans were dangerous, that we could not trust them even the slightest. Yet there were many members in our pack who did remember that there were kind and good humans, for every bad one that existed. But his words sank deep into those who did not trust humans, and for those who did, they merely had to accept his words and obey his caution, thus we avoided humans altogether."**_

 _With the loss of his mate, he chose to not take a new mate until he found one that caught his eye as his previous made had. This decision led him to a very lonely life, as each night he went to bed alone, unless he chose a 'mate for the night', which he often did. Often he mated with females that he fancied, or simply caught his eye as he passed by them. Yet for each female that he mated, he became less and less interested in seeking a Prime Mate, and more interested in pleasuring himself. Until one day, he tried to take a female, and she rejected him. Soon after, he learned why._

 _As time went on, he learned of the 'oddities' in our pack that he disapproved of greatly, namely those who liked their own genders. When he first discovered them, he quickly decreed that any who were like that change their ways or suffer. This drove them to hide themselves from him, but gossip spreads in this pack more than anything else, and his ears were always the first to hear those words._

" _ **Nayru was not yet an elder, but she was quickly approaching that age, and she was one of those who preferred the touch of their own gender. When he discovered her mate, he subjected her to the very same rule that he decreed, and publicly violated her in front of the pack. Even as she begged and screamed with each male who violated her, he did not shed a tear or show her any mercy, until the very end. I tried to council him once again, but he silenced me without even a word, simply by walking away from me. It was then I knew… that he was no longer the same Houndoom that arrived in our pack."**_

 _As the years went by, and Scar entered into his sixth year leading the pack, he was forcing the various females of the pack who had given birth to male offspring with him more often. The practice had become so common by then however, that when they heard that a female had become pregnant because of Scar, they instantly knew the pup would most likely die. He had said that he would have no more male offspring, for risk that they would contend with his position for leadership, until he chose a Prime Mate. Yet because he had lost almost all interest in choosing a Prime Mate, no female's pups were safe._

" _ **I tried one final time to council him, but he told me that his decree would stand. Only Ardent and Vicious would be his only male offspring he had until he had a new Prime Mate. Despite my efforts to save the life of a Luxray's pup, he forced her to kill the pup herself, or else he would do it for her. More often though, it was our leader's fangs that were dripping each time he left the nursery. But despite this, we followed his decrees, because he was strong. And though he was not as caring as we wished, he made us strong…"**_

" _ **Nobody dared to challenge him, none of the other packs, nor members of his own."**_

(Isis' PoV)

She looked at the Lucario with a sad frown. **"Though I alone tried to council him, it was only because of my station as elder that saved me from his wrath. Those who challenged him in the past met with his fury, and they never dared to challenge him again."** She said.

" **So… there's no real excuse for him hating all humans?"** Lancelot asked.

" **None other than what I know."** Isis replied. **"After he arrived here in the pack, we just assumed he hated his human because he abused him. But I believe that because of his nature, he viewed all humans as weak, and his trainer being a weakling in his eyes did not change his opinion."**

" **I see, thank you for your knowledge about Scar elder."** Lancelot said respectfully. **"Is there a chance that I can also ask you for some other advice?"**

" **I'm afraid asking me about how to get the females of the pack to stop showing great interest in you is impossible for even me to answer."** She replied with a chuckle. **"All I can say is, take a mate of your own, or simply accept that until you do, they will continue attempting to catch your eye."**

She chuckled as she imagined the Lucario, once again blushing deeply because of the following awkward silence.

Yes, many wonder how she managed without being able to see, but that was a secret that was best kept only to herself.

=Meanwhile, outside=

(Vicious' PoV)

" **This is where we're digging!"** Vicious roared at the Linoones as they finally reached the spot.

" **It's freezing out here, why do we have to dig here?"** One of the Linoones asked bitterly as they started to swipe away at the layer of snow.

" **Because your pack leader told you to!"** Vicious yelled. **"My father told me where to dig, and when we dig a tunnel deep enough, we'll be right over the winter reserves!"**

" **If he's so confident then why isn't he here as well?"** A second Linoone growled as he swiped as well.

Vicious eyed the Linoone as they shivered and swiped away at the snow. He and his father reached his old Pack on Route 10, and there they began to plot with the current Pack Leader to take over his old pack. Of course, the current leader disapproved greatly of attacking another pack so far away and with no reason to, but the prospect of gaining additional members to his pack by absorbing them, increasing his pack's strength and influence was too great a prospect.

So with Scar's knowledge of the layout of the den, he sent his son and several Linoones to dig a tunnel to the winter reserves. Their plan, steal what little food they had stored.

" **Hmpf… I can just imagine, they're probably all starving because they don't have enough food right now…"** He said. **"And when we take even more food away, they'll have nothing left to go around. Then if there's anyone still alive when spring comes around, they'll be too weak to stop us."**

He smirked as he remembered that Furfrou, Sophia, and remembered that he didn't have the chance to 'have fun' with her the last time he was here. Perhaps, if he got the chance, he might get to 'have fun' with her at last.


	26. Chapter 22

_*There are some evils that must be faced…*_

 _*There are loyalties that must be tested…*_

 _*And ideals that must be stood up for!*_

=Chapter 22, a Vicious Assault=

(Lancelot's PoV)

" **How can you stand doing this all day by yourself?"** Lancelot asked Lunara as he helped shift an armful of berries from the bottom of the pile and off to the side into another pile. **"My master asked me to help you for a few hours a day, and yet already I'm bored after two days. How can you stand doing this all day for nearly three months straight?"**

" **Oh, well… I never really noticed the time pass in the past."** Lunara replied politely as she lifted a pile of berries from the center and over to the same pile he was going to. **"I just did my duty and shifted the food around."**

" **I see…"** He said as he glanced at Lunara as she planted her berries alongside his.

As he looked at her, he could not help but admire her beauty, not only her appearance to him as a Pokemon but also her aura. It contained such a beautiful array of blues that truly captivated him. Every time he saw her aura it reminded him of the sea, the same sea the Tower of Mastery overlooked that made him feel calm and at peace. A part of him wanted to keep on staring at her beautiful aura all day, while another part of him wanted to lean over and kiss the owner of that aura's lips. That same part also began picturing him and Lunara…

 _ ***Stop it Lancelot…***_ He thought to himself as he shook himself out of his gaze in time to avoid her catching him staring at her. _***She has a mate already that she has been with for years, just be happy for her and leave it at that!***_

As she floated away and back over to the berry pit, he looked around at all of the many small piles of berries that they have been shifting around and positioning. Around the entire chamber ringing the large pit were piles of berries and fruits, each of which being rotated around every few hours to keep them from suffering frostbite. He was amazed at Lunara's speed and precision, as well as how calculated she was in making sure each pile was rotated to ensure the food remained as fresh as possible.

Every half an hour she would grab berries from the center and bottom of the main pile, and position them in one of the miniature piles. During that time she would take berries from the outer ring of the main pile, and shift them so that she could reach the bottom of those sections of the pit. As each pile began to grow bigger, she would gather at least four or five groups of berries, and put them on various sleds that Frostella brought in three times a day. After that she would take those sleds laden with berries, and put them in a small chamber where Frostella would then take them up to the surface for Icicle to take to the pack.

Thus was her routine each day, and Lancelot admired her for her diligence. She barely saw anyone in the pack, hardly knew anyone outside of those who dared venture into the catacombs of the Winter Reserve Guards, and only knew the leader if they ever bothered paying her kind a visit. Yet she was faithful and devoted to her duty of ensuring that, not only was their pack's food protected, but that it was delivered to them daily and on schedule. He admired her devotion to her duty, it rivaled his own to his master, and it only made him admire her even more.

 _ ***Stop it…***_ He thought to himself, cutting off his own thoughts before they went down that road, yet again.

As they went to work moving around another pile, Lunara decided to start up the conversation again. **"So I've been hearing you've become quite popular with all of the females in the pack."** She said with a chuckle. **"Is it true Lancelot? That you've got dozens of females all trying to get your attention?"**

" **Well… uh…"** He said, blushing deeply as he wished she wouldn't bring up that topic, especially coming from the only female he had any 'real' interest in. **"Who did you hear it from?"**

" **Icicle, she told me that you have yet to claim a mate!"** She replied with a smile. **"So, have you decided on who you'll take as your mate?"**

" **Well… that's a bit difficult to answer."** He said, not really liking where this conversation was going.

" **How come, your strong, fast, loyal, courteous, there's almost nothing a female wouldn't want in you."** She said with a smile. **"Or are you one of those types that prefer their own gender?"**

" **No it's not that I just…"** He said, glancing around for anything to steer away from the conversation, when he saw a Glalie's aura approaching from one of the upper tunnels hanging over the pit. **"Someone's approaching."**

Lunara looked up as well and watched as a Glalie floated in after a few moments, a Glalie they were both familiar with, her mate Glitter. He floated down glaring at Lancelot with the same piercing stare that his species was known for, as if he did not have a kind muscle in his entire body, let alone his face. **"What are you doing here?"** He growled at him, ignoring Lunara as if she wasn't there.

" **What I was told to do."** Lancelot replied back coldly, gathering his aura slowly in preparation to use an Aura Sphere. **"My master, our 'leader', asked me to assist Lunara in rotating the pack's food, because she's the only one doing it down here."**

" **And why does 'that' concern our leader so much?"** Glitter asked, still glaring angrily at him. **"She has done that task for years, and not once has any other leader bothered to concern themselves about it, what makes what she's doing so special now?"**

" **Perhaps because 'you' don't seem to concern yourself with what she's doing, is why he's asking 'me' to help her!"** He said coldly, putting extra emphasis on 'you'. **"So why are 'you' here Glitter, aren't you supposed to be patrolling the catacombs?"**

" **I 'am' patrolling, I pass by here once every few hours on my route."** He snarled. **"I'm doing the task I am supposed to do, not something someone 'asked' me to do."**

" **I do 'anything' my master asks of me!"** Lancelot growled angrily, showing his barely noticeable fangs as he did.

For several moments the two just glared at each other, Lancelot silently hoping for an excuse to give this Glalie a taste of his Aura Sphere. Finally Lunara floated in between the two to separate them. **"Enough of this, Glitter, go back to your patrol!"** She snapped, looking at Glitter to glare at 'him' now. **"We have everything under control down here."**

Glitter however didn't make eye contact with her, instead continuing to glare angrily at Lance. But finally he turned and floated out of a side tunnel, still not paying her any attention.

When he left Lunara sighed in relief and went back to the piles of berries. **"Is he always like that?"** Lancelot asked her as he joined her, picking up some berries and moving them to a pile alongside her.

" **I'm afraid so…"** She said. **"Normally he just ignores me when he stops by, sometimes he says hello, but most often he just passes by without a word.**

" **He refers to you as if you don't exist, he talks as if what you do is menial, and it's as if what you do doesn't matter in this pack!"** He stated frustratingly. **"How can you stand him? I understand he's your mate, but if he loved you even a little bit he would treat you better a hundred fold compared to 'that'!"**

" **Well he doesn't love me."** Lunara said with a sigh as she picked up another group of berries and piled them up. **"Come… it's time to deliver these berries for the pack to eat."**

As they began gathering berries and placing them on some sleds that Lunara pulled in, Lancelot once again questioned why this Froslass remained with such a clearly, subpar mate. She obviously deserved better than what Glitter was, in fact he was thinking of asking her to be 'his' mate, if for no other reason than to show that she truly could get everything Glitter was refusing her.

 _ ***Stop it Lancelot…***_ He whispered to himself angrily as they pulled the sleds to the drop off chamber. _***She has a mate, she doesn't want any other, otherwise she would have left him ages ago… right?***_

As he followed behind the Froslass, he glanced up at her and wondered if she had another reason for remaining with the Glalie.

" **I know it's not my place to keep asking the obvious… but why** _ **are**_ **you with Glitter?"** He asked, unable to stop himself. **"Is there truly no better a mate for you?"**

Lunara was silent as they went down a tunnel and entered the drop off chamber, where she positioned her sleds side by side. **"I've already told you… when you are a Winter Reserve Guard… there is very little room for love."** She said as Lancelot dragged his next to hers. **"Glitter is my mate, though he is not perfect, he is still someone I can talk to if I ever need to. He is devoted to his duty, and he is loyal to me, as I am loyal to him. Having someone to talk to is good enough of a reason for me to be his mate."**

" **But he 'doesn't' talk to you… that's why I don't understand it!"** Lance said, shaking his head in frustration as he followed her back to the food chamber. **"He barely acknowledged your presence when he visited, it was as if you weren't there to him!"**

" **Please Lancelot… just drop it for now…"** She said quietly. **"This is how it has been for many years, and it is how it is going to be for years to come…"** But just as quietly as she spoke, moments later she turned and chuckled at him with her smile present. **"Besides, at least I have you to talk to down here now! So I'm grateful to our leader for asking you to assist me!"**

Lancelot smiled back as well, knowing that she spoke the truth. She may not have the perfect mate he knew she deserved, but at least she had someone to talk to now. **"Yea, I suppose your right…"** He started saying before he noticed something was off.

He could see auras up to half a kilometer, however he was not an expert reader like some of the other Lucarios who resided in the Tower of Mastery. The oldest of them, Korrina's Lucario, was capable of reading auras when it was focused up to a mile away. However he never really needed to develop his skills in that regard because he was focused on improving his speed and strength. Now however, because he was so focused on Lunara and talking to her, he had neglected to search for other auras as he had been doing before.

If he had, he would have spotted the seven auras of Pokemon that resembled Linoone, all gathered in the food chamber.

" **Lunara, there's intruders in the food chamber!"** He said.

" **What, intruders?"** Lunara said in shock. **"Impossible, intruders couldn't have slipped past all of the guards, and Terrance, without being spotted! Are you sure?"**

" **I am sure, quickly we must hurry!"** He said, and both he and Lunara raced back to the chamber.

As they approached Lancelot saw that there was also an eighth aura present, but it was off to the side and he couldn't recognize it at first. As he watched this eighth aura began to leave in the opposite direction, heading away from the other seven they reached the food chamber, he grabbed one of Lunara's hands and slowed her down.

" **What are you…?"** She started saying before he shushed her with his other paw.

" **Quiet… I want to hear what they're saying…"** He whispered as he edged around the corner and listened with his ears.

Not needing to see with his eyes to see them in the pit was a blessing, as he was able to watch their auras walking around and still listen to their conversation with his ears.

" **There's so much food down here, how are we supposed to steal it all without being spotted?"** One Linoone shouted to the others.

" **A few at a time, like Vicious said!"** A second yelled back.

" **We're only supposed to steal enough so the pack here starves!"** A third one called out. **"But how do we know how much to steal?"**

" **He said just steal enough until there's hardly any left."** The second one said.

" **But it doesn't exactly look like they're starving like he said they would be… this is a lot of food!"** The first one said.

" _ **They're stealing the food?"**_ Lunara asked quietly. _**"They can't do that… our pack needs that to survive!"**_

Lancelot however was silently filled with anger and rage. Vicious was back, he was that eighth aura he saw. He knew of the consequences should he return, and return he did, only this time he was trying to damage their pack and kill them off in this underhanded method. The only question he could ask himself, was 'how', how did he get past over two hundred members of the pack, plus Terrance, as well as the lake itself?

But as he watched the Linoones walking around, apparently gathering food and putting them into a large pile, he realized that could wait. Right now he had a duty to perform.

" **Alright… now we stop them."** He whispered to Lunara. **"Ready?"**

" **I'm always ready to defend our pack's food!"** She said determinedly.

He nodded and stepped around the corner with her, glaring at the seven Linoones who had yet to spot them. **"STOP RIGHT THERE!"** He shouted in a loud, commanding voice.

At once all of the Linoones stopped what they were doing to look at him and Lunara in surprise. There was a moment of silence before all of the Linoones went into their aggressive mode, each extending claws and snarling as they prepared to advance on them. **"I thought he said there wouldn't be any guards down here!"** One of the Linoones shouted.

" **Doesn't matter, it's just two, we outnumber them!"** A second yelled. **"Let's just deal with them and get the food, before any more show up!"**

" **Not if I have anything to say about it!"** Lancelot yelled now, raising his paw up and sending an Aura Sphere to hit the first one right in the mouth, instantly knocking him out.

" **Get them!"** The third Linoone shouted, and all at once the Linoones charged Lancelot and Lunara.

He was just about to let loose with another Aura Sphere when the first Linoone hit him with a ferocious Headbutt, knocking him back but not making him flinch. Before he could prepare the Aura Sphere again, another one hit him, then another, and then a third. Soon he was facing four Linoones at the same time, preventing him from focusing them one at a time.

Meanwhile Lunara merely let the two Linoones try to Headbutt her, but because of her dual type, they merely phased through her and hit the wall behind her. Then she turned around and hit one with a blast of Icy Wind.

Refocusing on his opponents, he used another Power Up Punch to strike at another Linoone, and this one he sent flying right into one of the piles of food, causing them to get squished and splatter under his weight. **"The food!"** Lunara yelled fearfully, causing Lance to realize his mistake.

Lancelot was about to say he was sorry, but just as he did he saw the Linoones she had dealt with were starting to recover without her noticing. **"Behind you!"**

As they both recovered the one that didn't get hit with her Icy Wind charged her again, but this time with his claws glowing a dark purple. She tried to turn and use her Icy Wind again, but she wasn't fast enough and received a painful hit from the Linoone, and Lancelot recognized the move as Shadow Claw. She was hit with the full force of the attack and knocked to the ground, looking frail as she received an attack her kind was weak to.

" **Lunara!"** Lancelot shouted as he used a Power Up Punch on a Linoone to knock it out instantly, before shoving the other three off of him so he could leap over and jump in front of Lunara's attacker before he could get another strike off.

He knew from watching so many competitive battles with Karen, how frail Froslass as a species was. Despite their good speed and ice type attacks, their bodies were frail and couldn't take many hits from attacks they are weak to. Also unlike in the competition circuits they watched during their travels, this was a life or death situation, if these Linoones kept hitting her, she would die, and this drove him to absorb the next few attacks from the Linoones as they ganged up on him now.

" **Lance, why aren't you fighting back?"** Lunara asked as she slowly began to recover.

" **If I do… you might get hurt!"** He growled as he was forced to take yet more damage from his attackers. **"I can't risk it, I won't risk you getting hurt… just to protect some food!"**

As he turned to glare at his opponents, using his own body as a shield to protect Lunara from further harm, he failed to notice the prominent blush that appeared on her purple cheeks for just a split second. But after one more round of attacks which forced Lancelot to take a step back out of instinct, Lunara took in a deep breath, looked determinedly at their opponents, and cried out in a loud voice that could be heard for miles.

" **KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"** She screamed as loud as she could. **"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

All around the room the yell could be heard, echoing back and forth from tunnel to tunnel. The Linoones looked confused as they looked around, trying to figure out what the yell was for, and this gave Lancelot and Lunara time to get up and regain their composure. _**"What was that about?"**_ He whispered to her quietly.

" _ **I just sounded the alarm."**_ Lunara replied instantly. _**"These tunnels are empty, so empty that a loud scream can be heard in echoed form over a mile away thanks to our excavations. If ever one of us is in trouble, we give a loud screech, and we can identify the source of the scream based on the echoes. It won't take the other guards long to arrive here, at most a few minutes, even if they are far away, we created direct tunnels that only we can use to reach any area."**_

Sure enough, just as the Linoones regained their focus and charged Lancelot and Lunara again, two Glalies and a Froslass flew in from three different tunnels both high above them and on their level. Soon after, another pair of Froslass and a pair of Glalies flew in as well, instantly all going into combat and sending off blasts of Ice Beams at the intruders. Before they could counter attack, two of the Linoones were hit dead on and were frozen into blocks of ice. The remaining three who were still conscious, seeing the reinforcements, tried to make a run, but were stopped as another pair of Froslass flew into the food chamber, and they too fired off a stream of Ice Beams.

Panicking, the remaining intruders tried to flee wherever they could, but yet again two were hit directly by combined Ice Beams, and frozen solid before they could make a run. The remaining Linoone made a beeline for a side tunnel, but once again was blocked as three of the arriving Froslass intercepted him, faces set and arms spread to block him.

As one they all opened their mouths to prepare to freeze him with their combined Ice Beams.

" **Wait!"** Lancelot shouted as quickly as he could. **"Don't freeze him."**

At this the Froslass and Glalies stared at him questioningly, but they at least paused in their attack. **"Why?"** A Froslass asked curiously. **"He is an intruder, and intruders must be dealt with! We cannot allow him to harm our pack's vital food supply during these winter months."**

" **I know…"** Lancelot said as he stepped forward to stand behind the Linoone. **"But if we freeze him now, we won't be able to find out how they snuck past all of the Pokemon of this pack, as well as the Lake and the rest of you. Besides…"** He glared angrily at the Linoone even as he quivered under the gaze of all of the Glalies and Froslass' surrounding him. **"There's still another intruder down here."**

" **Another one?"** A Glalie asked angrily. **"Where is he?"**

" **We don't know, but we know he's a Houndoom, and his name is Vicious."** Lancelot replied. **"He's Vicious, the former leader Scar's son. And our 'friend' here knows why they're here."**

" **So what do we do with this one?"** Glitter asked as he floated next to the Linoone, and his face looked like he was ready to freeze the Linoone into an ice sculpture.

Lancelot glanced at the Linoone as he continued to shiver, but he put on a tiny smile as he knew what to do. **"Leave him to me…"** He stated.

" **And why should we, Lucario?"** A Froslass asked in a huff. **"We are the guardians of the Winter Reserves, it is 'our' duty to handle any intruders as we see fit, not yours."**

" **He is the bodyguard to our current leader, Wintra."** Lunara snapped. **"Treat him with respect down here, he represents our leader, and therefore has more authority than any of us!"**

Lancelot ignored them as they began to form a large circle around the Linoone, instead he focused on being as 'kind' as he could to the trapped Linoone. **"Now listen up intruder, I don't know why you and your fellows came here with that 'traitor' Vicious."** He said. **"But here is your situation: you are trapped over seventy feet below the surface, in a freezing room with ten ice types and one fighting and steel type around you. Your companions are frozen or unconscious, and you are all alone, surrounded by this pack's food protectors that all wish to freeze you into a block of ice. I am your 'best' chance to get out of this position, alive, so if you want to live to see your next meal, I suggest you answer my questions. Are we clear?"**

The Linoone glanced nervously at all of the Pokemon surrounding him, and then finally at the other Linoones that were indeed as he said, either frozen solid or unconscious. **"Uh huh…"** He said with a hint of fear.

" **Good, now question one, how did you slip past all of the Pokemon in this pack and get across the lake without being spotted by Terrance?"** He asked calmly.

" **We… we dug a tunnel down from the surface… and into one of the tunnels down here."** He replied instantly. **"It was the only way we could get past the den watchers, the Sevipers were too wary and watchful."**

Lancelot smirked as he admired how afraid this Linoone was of the two Sevipers David had allowed into the pack. **"Alright… question two, why did Vicious want you to steal food from our pack?"**

" **We were told to steal it so that your pack would starve!"** He said. **"He said that if we stole enough food, your pack would get weak from starvation."**

At that all of the winter guardians growled angrily, but as Lancelot stared at them they withheld themselves from attacking, all except Glitter and a Froslass, who looked like they were ready to pounce at any moment.

" **Alright, final question… why is Vicious back here, and who ordered you to do this to us?"**

" **He was told by his father to guide us under orders from our pack leader, Flare!"**

" **Flare… who is flare?"** He asked the guardians.

" **I do not know… nor do the others I assume?"** Lunara said, glancing at the others who each shook their heads. **"In any case, we still have an intruder to deal with, and an entrance to seal! All of you, we must divide our numbers and begin searching for the remaining intruder and the tunnel this Linoone spoke of."** She declared in a commanding voice. **"Two shall remain here to guard the food and keep an eye on these intruders. The rest will separate and begin scouring for the Houndoom. If you spot him, sound the alarm and signal where he is."**

" **He is to be killed once found!"** Lancelot called out before they left. **"By order of Pack Leader David, Vicious has been banished from our territory and is to be killed on sight should he be found again in our borders. If you find him, kill him!"**

At that they all began to leave, but a Froslass and a Glalie remained behind with Lunara and Lancelot. Glitter glanced at Lancelot before he left, still wearing that same glare as if he didn't like him at all, yet Lancelot ignored him. **"I'm going to search as well Lunara, can you please help guide me around?"** He asked Lunara, who nodded and followed behind him as he went down a side tunnel. However before he did he turned to the two remaining guards. **"Don't kill them, understood? I'm a Pokemon of my word, and my master would not want them killed… even if they didn't care about us being killed."**

With that he turned and left, Lunara trailing behind him as they made their way down the tunnel.

For several minutes Lancelot just stared around, using his ability to see and sense auras to try and find Vicious. Yet despite how much he focused, all he could see were the occasional auras of the other winter guards, floating this way and that way, above and below him or on his level.

" **May I ask you a question Lancelot?"** Lunara asked curiously. **"Why are you so insistent on finding Vicious as well? The other guards can easily find him and dispose of him, it is 'our' duty to find intruders and deal with them."**

" **Let's just say it's personal alright?"** He said with a growl. **"But if you wish to know, I can tell you."**

" **Is it that important to you?"** She asked.

" **Yes, you see… Vicious tried to rape Sophia… my master's Second Prime Mate."** He replied.

" **He tried to what?"** Lunara asked in amazement. **"How could he possibly think he could get away with such a high crime? To claim another's mate is punishable by death in this pack, only the Pack Leader is allowed the privilege."**

" **Well he tried to… but Terrance managed to stop him just in time… which is good, I don't think he would have lived had he succeeded."** Lancelot said, shuddering as he remembered Xerneas' warning to them all.

 _ **(Whatever one of us suffers, the others suffer, should one of you be cut the others will be cut as well.)**_

As they walked up another tunnel he felt a sudden breeze flowing in from a side tunnel which lead further upward. Following his instincts that perhaps he had found the tunnel the Linoones had dug from the surface, he jumped and began climbing up the narrow tunnel, barely wide enough for a Froslass to fit through. Lunara followed behind him, not saying anything as they went up.

After thirty minutes he climbed out of the narrow tunnel into a larger one, and that's when he spotted it, a tunnel with a faint flurry of snow falling in through it. **"There's our tunnel entrance."** He said as they walked over and looked up it. **"Looks like it goes for about thirty feet straight up to the surface… I'm surprised we're this close. I always assumed we were far deeper with how deep the tunnels go down."**

" **Well… in all honesty Lancelot… we never paid much attention to where we were digging… I guess we dug closer to the surface than we realized."** She said as she too examined the tunnel. **"The catacombs are the deepest tunnels in the den, and only a few of the guards patrol down there at any time. Now, how do we seal this tunnel up?"**

" **Simple…"** He replied as he extended his paws and concentrated an Aura Sphere using both paws to shape and focus the attack.

Then he released it with all of his force, and watched as it smacked the very top of the entrance, resulting in quite a loud explosion. The instant it made contact with the tunnel entrance, he turned and grabbed Lunara's hand and pulled her aside so that they would avoid the resulting cave in. Sure enough, seconds later he looked and saw, where once a tunnel had been, now was a wall of dirt and rocks, essentially blocking them off from where they had come from.

" **You know… that was unnecessary."** Lunara said with a hint of distaste. **"I can move myself."**

Realizing what she was talking about, he blushed in embarrassment. **"Oh uh… I'm sorry I didn't mean to…"** He stammered, but she simply turned and floated away.

" **I know what you 'mean' Lancelot… but I am a Winter Reserve Guard, just like my mate and the others."** She replied. **"I can take care of myself, I am not a helpless female in need of rescuing."** As she floated she stopped and turned to glance at him with one eye, and he could just barely make out a faint smile beneath her skull mask. **"But… thank you… that was a very noble gesture for you to do."**

" **Uh… any time?"** He replied, not sure if she was mad or grateful at him.

Deciding it was best to just leave it at that, he and Lunara continued along down the tunnel, Lancelot looking and searching for Vicious' aura. While they traversed, he occasionally saw a Glalie or a Froslass aura floating this way or that way, up or down, or even at strange angles. When he asked her why they were doing that, she indicated that this was how they searched for intruders.

" **If an intruder is detected but cannot be located, the first thing we do is search each of the main tunnels one at a time by accessing them through the various shortcut tunnels we dug for our own personal use."** She stated, floating over to the wall and pointing at a very small tunnel, similar to the one they took earlier, barely large enough for a Froslass or Glalie to fit through. **"These smaller tunnels is how we can reach certain areas quickly, as we can reach areas that would otherwise take hours. We also coat the inside walls of one occasionally with a layer of ice to identify the quickest shortcuts, and to dissuade intruders from attempting to take them as well."**

" **Clever…"** He started saying, before he suddenly spotted what he was looking for, a Houndoom's reddish aura seven feet below them. **"There he is, he's below us!"**

" **This way!"** Lunara said, taking the lead and going further down their tunnel before floating into a small side tunnel which led down.

After a few moments their tunnel exited into yet another tunnel, but thankfully wider than the one they just left. Yet just as he was about to exit it, he had a sudden rush of instinct, screaming at him to stop.

Listening to his instinct, he stopped just in time to avoid a blast of searing flames roar past exactly where he was about to step out from.

" **Nice save…"** Lunara whispered.

" **Don't mention it…"** He said, before jumping down, face set and battle stance ready.

There, merely fifteen feet away from Lancelot was Vicious, the Houndoom that had tried to rape Sophia, and only by the graces of Xerenas' pact was she spared such a fate. He was glaring at him with his fierce red eyes, and baring his teeth to show flames tickling them. **"Well look who it is… the Pack Leader's pet Lucario!"** He snarled venomously. **"So how is that 'weakling', still relying on you and your fox friend to do what he can't? And how's that 'poodle' of his, is she finally ready to have my pups?"**

Lancelot watched the Houndoom carefully, waiting for him to make his move so that he could counter it with his own.

" **How dare you speak like that?"** Lunara declared furiously, floating forward to stand before Lancelot. **"Disrespecting the pack leader and his Prime Mates, as well as his guards, you should be ashamed of yourself!"**

Lancelot had only a split second to see the twitch in Vicious' eye, before he had to shove Lunara onto the ground to avoid being hit by his Flamethrower. Then he got up quickly and tried to fire back with an Aura sphere, but as the attack was sent soaring towards its target, Vicious jumped and hit the ceiling of the tunnel, causing a small cave in, and the resulting debris not only took the hit instead but also created a small smokescreen which temporarily blinded Lancelot before he could focus on seeing auras.

" **He went down that side tunnel!"** He said to Lunara as she recovered as well.

" **That tunnel is a dead end…"** Lunara said. **"I will summon the other guards."**

" **Fine, but Vicious is mine!"** Lancelot declared as he took off down the side tunnel the Houndoom took. A minute later he turned a corner of the tunnel and saw Vicious looking from side to side. **"Your trapped you monster!"**

Vicious turned around at the sound of Lancelot's voice and let loose with a Flamethrower, forcing him to duck into yet another side tunnel. **"I'm not finished yet!"** He yelled defiantly, but there was a hint of desperation in his voice now.

" **Yes you are… you're not getting out of here alive for what you've done!"** He yelled as he edged around the corner, trying to get a clean shot with an Aura Sphere without exposing himself to a Flamethrower in the small space. **"It's lucky my master is not here… because he might have spared you a second time… but he's not here now, so your fate is in my paws! And for what you tried to do to Sophia, you will pay dearly…"**

" **We'll see about that you pet to a human!"** Vicious yelled angrily as the sound of a shriek could be heard, Lunara's signal to the other guards. **"When he's dead, and this pack has a new leader, you won't be gloating about your precious 'master' anymore!"**

" **No you won't!"** Lunara declared as she turned the corner. **"I will freeze you to your bones for your crimes against this pack!"**

Lancelot tried to warn Lunara, but it was too late, there was only a brief moment in which she floated proudly in front of him and let loose with her Ice Beam. Then in an instant, Ice Beam met Flamethrower, and there was only one outcome when those two elements met face to face.

" **Kyaaaaaaaa!"** Lunara screamed in agony as her Ice Beam, though strong in its own right, but paled in comparison to the Flamethrower from the Houndoom, completely evaporated in an instant and the flames began scorching her body.

" **LUNARA!"** Lancelot screamed in horror as the flames ended and he saw Lunara floating pitifully for a second, before she collapsed to the floor, a smoking heap as she barely breathed.

He heard Vicious take a deep breath as he prepared another Flamethrower, and instantly Lancelot realized that she would not survive a second attack.

So he did the only thing that made sense, he jumped from his safe position and spread his arms and legs as wide as he could, and once again formed a living shield for the Froslass. To him it didn't matter if he was burned to a crisp, as long as that beautiful Froslass was kept safe.

In a flash of yellow and red, he saw a roaring inferno racing toward him, and his every instinct told him to get out of the way, to avoid the attack, but he resisted and stood his ground.

The flames hit him with the full intensity and ferocity of a Charizard's Heat Wave, and in the small space there was no way he could avoid the worst of the damage. His body, being both part steel and fighting, screamed in agony and protested angrily as he felt like his very skin was melting away with each second.

" **Gaaaaaah!"** He yelled, forcing his feet to remain where they were as they desperately tried to run from the heat.

Instinctively his head turned to try and save some part of him, to avoid the flames as best he could, and his vision showed him Lunara, lying on the ground as she stared at him taking the hit for her. She was wide eyed with shock as she watched him enduring the pain of the flames.

" **Get… out of the way!"** She tried to yell, but it only came out as a hoarse shout over his yells of pain. **"Run… before it's too late!"**

" **NEVER!"** He yelled defiantly, pushing himself forward to ensure none of the flames passed him and hit her. **"I WILL… PROTECT YOU… NO MATTER WHAT!"**

With that declaration he turned and glared angrily through the flames, closing his eyes so that he could focus on the aura of the Pokemon he was resisting. After all, he didn't need his eyes to concentrate on auras, nor did he need them to see his Aura Sphere's target. The only thing he needed to do was ignore the pain, but by Arceus was that a challenge as every atom in his body begged him to get away from the flames.

(Lucy's PoV)

" **You think our mate would like take a bath with us in the middle of the night?"** Lucy asked Sophia as they sat in the leader's chamber, both gossiping about how best to go about seducing their lover to mate with them that night. **"I mean, we could use the bath."**

" **Oh yea sure, let's just go and ask our darling to take a bath when I'm sure he'd rather be sleeping."** Sophia barked sarcastically. **"No, the trick to getting a male enticed into mating you is to…"**

Lucy was about to make a sassy remark, before she felt her skin suddenly erupt in a burning sensation, as if she were being boiled alive. **"Uuuuugh!"** She moaned loudly as she suddenly went into a spasm of pain.

" **My skin!"** Sophia screamed loudly as she rolled on her back and started twitching. **"My body feels like it's being char boiled!"**

They continued to scream in agony as their bodies cried out in pain, twitching as they couldn't understand where this wave of pain came from.

(David's PoV)

"So you will take my request into consideration?" He asked Xerneas as he sat in her grove, never once having been in here since she first joined the pack and set up her new home.

Her grove had no trees, but somehow she had a blooming field of grass, complete with shrubs, flower bushes, and a small crystal clear pond of water.

 **(Yes, I will take your request into consideration my master.)** She said respectfully. **(I will tell you in passing…)**

David was about to ask why Xerneas stopped talking, when he felt his skin suddenly start to burn up. Moments later he was on the ground and writhing in pain as he felt like he was being burned alive. "What's… happening?" He yelled as Xerneas collapsed as well, her horns narrowly missing him as she too began to twitch in pain.

 **(It burns… one of the others… is in pain!)** She screamed in agony. **(We're feeling their pain… we're all feeling it!)**

"But who… who could feel this pain and live through it!" He cried out as his body felt like it was melting from the inside out.

(Karen's PoV)

" **He's been with Xerneas for a while now…"** Karen said as she lazed around next to the water's edge where Terrance was also sitting.

" **Wondering what he's up to in there?"** He asked her with a chuckle.

" **Well duh, he's my OT, I should know everything about him, what he does, what he's talking about, his favorite sex position, his fetishes."** She said bluntly. **"I didn't spend seven years searching for him for nothing you know."**

" **Are those last two really necessary for a starter to know?"** He asked with a twinkle in his eye.

" **Of course, a starter should know all of these things, how else am I going to play out my sex fantasies when he and I are all alone?"** She said, noticing a strange tingling sensation in her skin, as if it were suddenly fifty degrees warmer than it normally was.

She was about to ask herself what was up, when suddenly Terrance began screaming and wailing at the top of his voice, beaching himself and almost flipping onto his shell. **"Agh!"** He yelled in pain. **"My skin… I feel like I'm being… burned alive!"**

" **What's wrong Terrance?"** Karen yelled as nearly every Pokemon in the lake chamber turned to stare at them.

From inside Xerneas' chamber she heard the screams of David and Xerneas as they yelled in pain as well, and her first instinct was to go find out what was wrong, before it finally clicked in her head.

They were feeling the pain of someone in their pact.

" **Wait… how come everyone's is in so much pain, but I'm not?"** She asked herself as she felt like her skin was really hot, far hotter than normal. **"Of course… I'm a fire type, I'm resistant to fire type moves! But… none of us are being attacked by a fire type. David and Xerneas are in her grove chamber, and Lucy and Sophia are in David's chamber, and I'm out here with Terrance…"**

Then she understood why, the only reason she could possibly feel this much heat from a fire attack, was if she had a weakness to it. **"Lancelot you idiot, what are you doing!"** She moaned to herself as she tried to calm Terrance down, or at least push him back into the water. **"I'm the one who's supposed to be taking dangerous risks, you're supposed to be the sensible one in the group."**

(Lancelot's PoV)

Lancelot yelled in agony as he concentrated as hard as he could, focusing all of his strength into creating an Aura Sphere through the intense heat and pain his body was suffering. He knew that he could not last much longer, the flames were already starting to cause severe burns in his steel-like fur and skin. Any longer and he would be cooked alive.

Clenching his teeth to silence his screams, he felt his Aura Sphere take shape in his left paw, and focusing his remaining strength, he aimed it at Vicious' aura. **"Graaaaawr!"** He screamed as he shoved his arm forward and sent his Aura Sphere at his target.

" **Garh!"** He heard Vicious scream as the flames suddenly stopped scorching him, and he barely made out the form of his Houndoom opponent's aura collapsing to the ground.

He opened his eyes wearily and fell to his knees, panting heavily as he watched Vicious' body wearily starting to get back up. _***Please… let that be enough… I can't take anymore…***_ He thought desperately.

Unfortunately Vicious had other plans, as he got back up onto his shaky legs and snarled at him. **"You are going… to pay… for that!"** He growled. **"I am going… to burn you… and that floating ice girl… of yours… to the Distortion World!"** With that declaration he opened his mouth and began preparing yet another Flamethrower.

As Lancelot shakily rose to his feet, determined to protect Lunara with his life and prepared to die to do so, a sudden blast of Ice Beams hitting Vicious caused him to stop. Within seconds four Froslass and three Glalies flew past him, all of whom blasting Ice Beam after Ice Beam at Vicious. As each Ice Beam hit steam rose from his body and he was driven back against the wall, and within a few seconds an icy mist began to rise.

A minute later, the other Winter Guards joined those attacking Vicious and hit him with their own Ice Beams, creating even more mist. Finally after what felt like forever, the Ice Beams stopped, and Lancelot could see what had happened to Vicious.

The Houndoom's legs and paws were all encased in ice that had frozen them in place next to the wall and to the floor. His neck was also encased in a ring of ice as was his body, both attached to the wall to prevent him from moving. Vicious himself was shivering with cold as he tried to use some kind of flame attack, but something seemed to be wrong because nothing happened.

 _[Shoal Cave Remix by GlitchxCity]_

" **You made it in time…"** Lunara said as she wearily rose from the floor.

" **Next time don't give the intruder a chance to attack!"** Glitter said as he glanced back at her and Lancelot. **"And I thought you were supposed to be stronger, for a 'bodyguard' to our pack leader."**

Lancelot remained silent as he limped over to Vicious. **"Now… Vicious… you are going to pay… for what you've done!"** He said with a gasp. **"For trying to rape… one of my friends… and the Second Prime Mate to my master… this pack's leader. You… were warned not to return… my master granted you mercy… and you return… to cause harm upon the pack as a whole!"** He leaned as close to Vicious' face as he could. **"This time… you die… for your crimes!"**

" **No…"** Lunara said, and Lancelot felt her grab his shoulder. **"We will deal with him… I will escort you back to the entrance."** Before he could object she turned to the others and began instructing them. **"Take the Linoones to the Lake Chamber, and leave them for the Pack Leader and the rest of the pack. As for the food, determine how much was lost during the fight. And as for this one…"**

She turned to Wintra and leaned close to her to whisper something, after a moment she took Lancelot's arm and began to lead him away from the Houndoom and the others. **"Why are you taking me away, I need to make him pay for what he's done!"** He whispered painfully.

" **Don't worry, if there is one thing you can be rest assured of…"** She whispered as they turned down a side tunnel and out of sight. **"Is that we winter guards, ensure that those who dare trespass on this pack's food reserves, suffer for their crime."**

(Vicious' PoV)

" **As soon as I can I will melt you all into puddles of water!"** Vicious growled as he tried to free himself from his icicle shackles.

" **But you won't be…"** One of the Froslass declared with a cruel smile. **"You are trespassing on this pack's food reserves, a crime punishable only by us, the Winter Guardians."**

" **Indeed…"** A Glalie said, also smiling wickedly at him. **"The pack Leader has no say in how 'we' punish trespassers."**

" **If what we heard correctly is true… you tried to rape the Second Prime Mate!"** A third Froslass whispered with a grin. **"To claim another's mate as your own, by force, is a high crime in this pack. Only the Leader is allowed that privilege, whatever were you thinking? What you have done… is unforgiveable."**

Vicious watched as all of the Froslass floated forward while the Glalies began to back away. **"What… what are you doing?"** He said nervously.

" **In all of the pack, only three individuals may command any of us, and whose authority we Winter Guards recognize."** The first Froslass declared. **"Those three, are the Pack Leader, Glitter, and his mate Lunara. She has ordered us to punish you in this specific way, and it is a method that the Glalies need not be present for!"**

" **As for what we're doing, isn't it obvious? We're carrying out the punishment you deserve."** A second Froslass stated with a cruel laugh. **"If you would dare claim another's mate when she does not want to be yours, then you will lose 'that' which you would have forced upon her, before losing your life of course!"** As she inched closer her eyes glinted maliciously. **"Don't worry… it won't hurt 'us' a bit."**

Panicking as he realized what they were about to do, he tried to use his Flamethrower again, but for some reason he couldn't ignite the flames in his stomach. **"What's the matter, can't use your fire?"** A third Froslass asked heartily. **"This is why we loathe you fire types. You think you can burn whatever you wish, but deprived of your flames, you are nothing to those who are weak to you!"**

" **Your body is too cold to produce any fire, and you are trapped by our ice shackles… you are helpless to us now…"** A fourth Froslass replied as she extended her arms to his groin area. **"We have not had any 'fun' for many years… I hope you scream well for us."**

" **No… no… NOOOOOOOO!"** He yelled.

(Lancelot's and Lunara's PoV)

 _[Fireworks theme, Pokemon X/Y]_

For nearly fifteen minutes Lancelot walked next to Lunara as she led the way through the tunnels, silently supporting his weight as he had difficulty walking. **"How are you feeling?"** She asked him finally.

" **I'm still breathing… which is good."** He said with a chuckle. **"Are you alright though?"**

" **Why do you worry about me?"** She asked quietly. **"I'm not the one who endured that Flamethrower back there, just to protect a single Winter Reserve Guard."**

" **You're not just a guard to me…"** He said with a nervous blush. **"To me your… precious… a valued member of this pack… and that's more than enough reason to protect you."**

She glanced at him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her blushing as well. **"We're almost at the surface."** She stated.

" **Good to know… can't wait to hear what the others will say…"** He replied, already imagining the others trying to figure out what happened to him.

" **Yes… but before you leave… I have to say this…"** She said as they neared the entrance to the winter reserves.

" **And that is?"** He asked her as she let him go so he can stand on his own.

She took a deep breath and stared into the Lucario's eyes, the eyes of her rescuer, and someone she had come to greatly respect. **"Thank you… for rescuing me… three times today."** She said. **"I have never been treated so highly by anyone else before, and I want to thank you properly. You saved my life and… that deserves a reward."**

Then before she could lose her nerve, and before Lancelot realized what she was about to do, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. After a second of the contact she pulled away with a very prominent blush on her face. **"Don't take this the wrong way Lancelot… I am still faithful to my mate, as you are loyal to our leader… but I wanted you to know how… grateful I am… for what you've done today."** She said. **"Not only did you save my life, you also saved the pack's food!"**

" **Uh… thank you…"** He replied as he blushed as well at her gesture.

Just as she turned to leave Lanceot coughed loudly to get her attention. **"You know… Lunara… thank you as well…"** He said. **"That was the first time… anyone has… you know… kissed me… even if it's on the cheek."**

" **Oh… I see… well… your welcome Lancelot."** She said before she turned around and began to leave for the food pit, and her usual task of turning the food.

 _ ***I was his first…***_ She thought to herself, blushing as she touched her lips, remembering how warm his fur had felt.


	27. Chapter 23

_*Fear is more powerful than you can imagine…*_

 _*When you are afraid you will do anything to escape it…*_

 _*Yet only if you let it can fear rule you.*_

=Chapter 23, Fear of the Unknown=

(David's PoV)

"So that is what happened elders." David declared as he finished explaining to the elders of what transpired in the Winter Reserves Chamber, with both of the twins Yara and Nera beside and behind him, as well as Lucy and Sophia next to him on either side. "Icicle reports that we lost a portion of the food due to Vicious' attack, but Lunara states that we still have plenty to survive the remaining winter months. She has posted additional guards to patrol the caverns around the food storage room, and Lancelot says he will return to protecting the food pit, once he finishes recovering from his burns."

There was silence in the elder's chamber as they each stared at one another, exchanging silent and worried glances with each other. He guessed they were having silent conversations that were being spoken so fast that the only way they could be heard was through silence. While they debated quietly, Lucy rubbed her cheek against his to comfort him, while Sophia curled up in his lap and got him to scratch her fur. Both of the females simply trying to help him out however they could.

" **What of the Linoones that the Reserve Guardians brought to the surface?"** Kuma asked at last.

David glanced at Nera and Yara who were next to him, before answering that question. "I have Karen guarding them now, along with several other pack members." He said. "The twins have interrogated them, quite extensively, using their psychic powers, but even without their help the Linoones were more than willing to answer our questions. Based on the information they've attained from the Linoones who regained consciousness, this act was performed under the orders of Pack Leader Flare." He took a breath before resuming his talk, having been talking all night and talking with the Linoones as well. "Previous Leader Scar influenced Flare to carry out this threat, but they have not told us anything more than that."

" **I see, what will be done with the Linoones Leader?"** Nayru asked.

"I have given them two options, they may remain here as members of Pack David, under close watch mind you, or they may return to Pack Flare." He replied, not enjoying having to make the threats that came with option two. "I warned them that if they do return to Pack Flare, I will not escort them back safely, nor will I stop my own pack members from exacting revenge against them the moment they leave our den. Needless to say, given those options, all seven of the Linoones pledged their loyalties to me and our pack, in exchange for mercy. For now they will remain under watch for the rest of the winter months, and Lucy has asked Icicle to patrol the area around where they tunneled, since she's the only one who can handle the cold."

" **Wise precautions Leader."** Jen said.

" **Yes… but what worries me most is the manner in which this attack against us was carried out."** Yin declared. **"They burrowed their way around our den watchers, and attacked our food directly, during the early days of winter. Why would Scar harbor so much hatred against the Pack he once led, to the point where he would send his own son to attack our food reserves? It does not bode well indeed…"**

" **Indeed Yin, I fear that this may yet be a preemptive strike against our pack for a future pack war."** Isis said calmly, though the worry was just as evident in her voice.

"Isis, have you had any visions that may help us understand what will come?" David asked, hoping the Espeon elder might know something about their future.

There was a moment of silence in which all of the elders stared at her, before she shook her head. **"No leader, none that I can use to shed light on our future."** She replied. **"My vision of the future is as clouded as it was before. But should I see a glimpse into the future, I will inform you the instant I can understand and interpret it. For now, all I can say is be cautious from here on out."**

"Very well… however I do not know who this leader Flare is… the Linoones did not answer much outside of the fact that he is a Houndoom like Scar." He said to them.

" **I know this Flare well…"** Kuma declared.

" **Yes… as do I Leader."** Isis said as well. **"Though I have never met him personally, throughout my years in this pack I have encountered many pack members that participated in a Pack War that involved the Pack that currently controls the territory you humans refer to as Route 10."** There was silence as Isis yawned, before she resumed telling her tale. **"Pack Flare was at one point, one of many weak and small packs that inhabited the area of Route 10. When Flare took control over eighteen years ago though, it was just after Pack Fragila, now Pack Delica, ended a territorial dispute over their northern borders. After Flare took control, from what I have heard, the pack began to grow more powerful, slowly absorbing one small pack after another within the territory of Route 10."**

" **For years we heard nothing, before we met the last member of one of those smaller packs, a Yanma."** Kuma said, the Mightyena elder picking up where Isis stopped. **"The Yanma said that Flare had taken control of his Pack, as well as all of the other packs within the borders of Route 10. Flare's numbers had swelled to over six hundred from the pitiful sixty it started as under his rule. Two years later, Flare's borders extended to beyond Route 10, and even pushed into the forest far north, which borders Pack Delica's western most border. By now, their numbers have most likely increased to well over eight hundred, making them the largest and most powerful pack to our own pack's knowledge."** He too yawned loudly, very tired as they had been up past their normal sleeping times. **"From what I know of Flare, the Houndoom that leads the pack has somehow led this pack to greatness all by himself. The few members we have encountered that know of his pack personally, said that he outsmarted nearly every opposing pack leader that tried to stand up to him. They described him as a great fighter, and an even greater leader."**

" **The fact that such a powerful Pack Leader has seen fit to perform a preemptive attack against us worries me greatly."** Nayru said. **"Though our pack is strong and powerful, we only number, at most, less than two hundred, not counting the little ones and including our foragers. Should Flare find it within their interest and follow up on this attack against us, I doubt we will survive a Pack War with them."**

" **Wait… we still have Xerneas!"** Lucy said quickly. **"Surely they won't dare challenge us so long as we have Xerneas among our pack."**

"Xerneas is the Life Pokemon Lucy, she will not take a life even to save her own." David said, knowing from experience and personal insight how Xerneas thought. "She will fight to protect herself, and she will fight to protect those around her, but she will never take another life if she can avoid it. While we can rely on Xerneas to help fight and protect us, we cannot rely on her to kill should we be forced into a war."

" **Well… at least we can be safe in the knowledge that we are safe for now."** Isis declared.

"What do you mean Isis?" David asked hopefully.

Yin coughed to get everyone's attention, but he too nodded in understanding. **"What Isis means leader, is that we are in the early stages of winter."** The elder Umbreon said. **"Flare will not dare attack a pack during these cold months. To feed so many mouths in one large pack takes enormous food reserves, to wage a war against another pack far away from their home territory will take even more. I doubt this pack has the reserves to stage an attack of such proportion. Perhaps in the future they may assault us, but even then, we are too far away for them to hope to assault us!"**

" **Indeed."** Jen, the elder Furfrou barked cheerfully. **"Not only would Flare have to cross vast ground to reach us, they would have to move great numbers across numerous territories of Pokemon, in areas that humans have not yet claimed for their own. By the time they reached us, what food they had would be long gone and their forces too weak to confront us. Not only that, but the other neighboring packs would also stand in their way, as we have Pack Delica on one border and Pack Logan on another. Before Flare could dare to threaten us, they would have to go through one of those Packs first, giving us ample time to prepare our defenses."**

Thinking about it now, David guessed that they were safe from war, but he was still worried about Scar attacking them. Somehow Scar had convinced this Flare to carry out this attack against them, small as it was, he had done it. If he could convince Flare to send seven Linoones to attack their food reserves, what would stop him from trying to convince this Houndoom from declaring war against his old pack?

" **Well, I think we have spent long enough debating the issues and worries of the night."** Nayru said, getting up and stretching her nine tails and paws. **"It is late, let us all return to our beds and rest. We can be safe in the knowledge that we are safe from further attacks tomorrow."**

" **Agreed…"** Kuma barked as he too got up and stretched.

The other elders got up and stretched as well, before wishing him a good night and leaving the chamber one by one. After they left, David turned to his advisors and Prime Mates to talk to them. "Yara, Nera, do you have any ideas as to how we could avert a Pack War?" He asked the twins, seeing how tired they were but wanting to find some solution before he went to bed.

Both of them shook their heads tiredly. **"I'm sorry leader, but we don't exactly know anything more than what the elders have said."** Yara said. **"With the winter months settling in, most of the packs and Pokemon will remain where they are. If Flare attacks us to try and take over, we will know sooner or later."**

He nodded and looked over at Nera. "What happens in a Pack War?" He asked her. "If Flare attacks and defeats us, what happens to the defeated pack?"

" **Most pack wars end in the same manner Leader, with the victorious Pack taking control of the territory the defeated pack controlled."** Nera replied with a yawn. **"Should we be… defeated… those who survive will be absorbed into the new pack. The females will all be spared as they are necessary for a pack to thrive, for breeding purposes anyway. Any young will most often be spared, unless they are the defeated Pack Leader's young, in which case they are killed regardless of gender. Any males are spared provided they don't challenge the new Pack Leader's authority."**

"And I assume that, as Leader, I will also be killed?" He said.

" **Yes."** Yara replied. **"If we are defeated, you will be killed unless you flee. Your authority will challenge the new leader, therefore you will be killed to ensure nobody challenges him. Your Prime Mates will be spared, provided they are not pregnant with your young, and if they are the young will be killed upon being birthed."**

"I see…" He said. "Scar would do that…"

There was silence again as that information sank into his mind, and though he could tell that Yara and Nera were both extremely tired, having been awake all day and now half the night, but still refused to leave until he gave them permission. "Alright you two, off to bed with you, that's an order." He declared, himself still tired but still not willing to sleep just yet.

" **As you wish leader."** Nera said gratefully, bowing as she and Yara walked away, tails dragging behind them.

With the twins gone David sighed as he too finally got up and began to leave, both Lucy and Sophia walking behind him. "So now I have to worry about a possible Pack War…" He said to them. "All because 'I' became leader of this pack… Yara and Nera suggested killing him so he couldn't threaten me, and I let him live because I felt he didn't deserve to die. If only I had… not been so weak back then… maybe none of this…"

" **Don't blame yourself love… there was no way we could've predicted this happening!"** Lucy said to him.

" **Yea…"** Sophia yawned as they walked back to their chamber. **"It wasn't… your fault… that you became… leader of a Pack of Pokemon. It's Scar's fault for being an excuse pathétique pour un leader!"**

"I'm not sure it's entirely his fault…" David said, unconvinced that it was all Scar's fault.

(Lucy's PoV)

Lucy watched her love as they walked back to their chamber with frown, she was afraid that this would happen. He was doubting his abilities as a Leader, and he was questioning his position and capabilities at the worst possible moment. Their pack needed him to be strong, if not physically than mentally. He was beginning to stress himself out about things that he could not possibly have predicted or anticipated.

They needed to calm him down and get his mind on track soon, or else he would make mistakes, mistakes that could very well spell doom for their pack.

As they approached their chamber and prepared to enter, she glanced over at the Second Prime Mate Sophia, and saw her glancing nervously back at her.

Silently, she nodded first towards David, then to herself, and Sophia nodded in understanding.

They knew what they had to do, but it would have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, they were all tired, it had been a very long and tough day for all of them.

She could sense Lancelot sleeping off his burns in his chamber, Karen was also dozing off after she had left the Linoones to sleep in their 'prison' chamber, Terrance was resting at the bottom of the lake, and Xerneas was awake and using her powers to heal them all subtly.

So as they walked over to their bed and David climbed in, she snuggled as close to him as she could under the blanket, and smiled sweetly at him as he was about to close his eyes. She gave him a gentle kiss on his lips, managing to worm her tongue into his mouth to show him how much she loved him. His tongue however, wasn't interested or in the mood it seemed, as she barely got a response from him, and merely sat in his mouth while she massaged it with her own.

Seeing that he wanted to sleep, she left his mouth and smiled sadly at him, hoping for _some_ kind of smile back, but all she got was him closing his eyes and rolling over to sleep.

Sophia meanwhile was fast asleep, and snoring loudly as she laid curled up in her bed.

 _ ***Tomorrow… just wait until tomorrow…***_ She thought as she curled up as close to him as she could, hoping things get better for them tomorrow.

=The Next Morning=

(David's PoV)

David kept his eyes closed as he woke up mentally from his sleep, unwilling to get up after the night he went through. The first thing he remembered when he went to sleep was dream, but it wasn't like the dreams he was familiar with, dreams of laughter and fun times, of adventure and grandeur. This dream was more along the lines of a nightmare, he saw himself standing over his team, his friends and family, the Pokemon that he had gone through death and rebirth with.

 _He was standing over their crumpled forms, each bearing burns and scars, wounds of battle and all bleeding from numerous injuries. Each and every one of them were lying on the ground, dead or dying, and he was unable to do anything to save them. Even Xerneas' collapsed form could be seen, her horns growing dimmer and dimmer as she began to die before him._

 _Desperately trying to save any of them, he went to each of them, trying to find some way to help them, but the only one who looked close to saving was Karen, his starter._

 _As he held her in his arms, trying to keep her awake and focused on him, she looked at him with pleading eyes to speak to him._ _ **"Why?"**_ _She asked him._ _ **"Why… didn't you help us? Why didn't you stop him… we trusted you… why master… why?"**_

 _After she gave her final words, her body became limp in his arms, and all he could hear was a sinister laughing from around him. He heard Scar's voice echoing from somewhere, mocking him and declaring how pathetic he was as a leader. Then he saw a bright flame appear before him, before he woke up._

"I can't let that happen…" He whispered as he tried to ignore how bright it was in his chamber. "I can't let this Pack War happen…"

" **Wake up Master David!"** A female voice yelled loudly, more specifically Karen's voice.

"Alright, I'm getting up." David said, slowly rising up into a sitting position to look at Karen who was twirling her stick which was lit.

As he looked around he noticed it was just Karen in the room with him, Lucy and Sophia weren't there. **"If you're wondering where your wives are chief, they left to get lunch a few minutes ago."** Karen said with a chuckle as she stopped twirling her stick to watch him. **"They would have woken you up, but we all kinda figured you'd need your rest. What with everything that's happened an all…"**

"Yea…" He replied, not really feeling in the mood to laugh today.

There was silence as he simply sat there, all of the memories of the night before and everything else that's happened rushing back to him. **"So I guess you had a nightmare too huh?"** Karen asked, walking over to him while stashing her stick back in her tail.

"What makes you say that?" He asked back.

" **Oh come on, I'm the starter, if anyone is closer to your heart than your wives and Mega, it's me."** She said as she climbed into his lap to sit with him. **"That… and we all had it last night."**

"Figured as much."

There was silence between them as she admired her paws, apparently content to stay there and wait for him to say something or do something. **"So, what's the plan?"** She asked after a few minutes of nothing happening.

"What do you mean?"

At this Karen sighed in frustration and looked up at him with a frown. **"I mean, what are we going to do now, knowing what we know?"** She said slowly. **"We can't just sit here doing nothing, if Flare 'does' attack us, we need to be prepared. We can't win if we aren't prepared master."**

"But how can we win… I mean… you know by now how strong Flare is…" He said nervously. "What if we can't win, what if we lose…"

The moment he said that last word, Karen stood up while in his lap, turned around and smacked him with the side of her paw, staring furiously at him the entire time. **"Don't even THINK we will lose!"** She said angrily. **"Don't ever think we'll ever lose Master David… I didn't go through eleven years of being 'traded' like some breeding bait, to hear my OT say we won't win! We're going to win, it's not a matter of if or how, we 'must' win!"**

"But… what if…" He started saying before he was once more interrupted by Karen slapping him with the back of her paw.

" **Don't even THINK of saying that!"** She yelled. **"Don't ever believe we might lose, you have to believe we'll win and think that we can win, because…"** She sniffed a little as she began to cry tearfully, still staring at him as she put a paw over his heart. **"Because if you believe we'll lose… then we'll believe we'll lose as well. So don't ever think we'll lose… we need you to be strong, not just for the team but for your pack as well. If they think we're finished then they'll lose faith in your ability to lead them, and you can't let them down after everything you've done for them!"**

As she finished her declaration she leaned her head forward to rest against his chest. Feeling her worry through their pact, he began to scratch her fur along her ears softly, electing purrs of pleasure and comfort from his Braixen. "Alright Karen, I'll try to be strong and think positive…" He said.

" **That's more like it."** She whispered contentedly. **"You need to be strong master… because your strength gives us strength… it's when you feel weak that we become weak as well."**

As they sat for a few more moments, he remembered something that made him glance down at her in curiosity."Did Lucy put you up to this by chance?" He asked her.

" **No… she just asked me to keep an eye on you till she got back…"** Karen said. **"She wanted to cheer you up and clear your head 'her' way when she got back from eating and giving instructions with Sophia."**

(Multi PoV)

"Oh, and what was going to be 'her' way of 'clearing my head'?" He asked his Braixen with a smirk, already guessing what Lucy might have been planning.

Karen looked up and smirked back at him, before using his legs to boost herself up so she was at his eye level. **"How about I 'show' you Master… rather than just 'describe' it to you?"** She cooed.

"By all means…" He whispered, before closing the distance between their mouths to lock lips.

When they locked lips she instantly opened up her mouth and used her tongue to beckon her mouth's explorer with a gentle tug, which easily complied as it pressed into her mouth and began to dance with her own. Instantly she began to feel pleasure, and decided to enjoy herself as she closed her eyes to let him do whatever he wanted with her, just the way she liked.

While their tongues danced the tango in her mouth, she used one paw to quickly draw her stick from her tail and toss it to the side, leaving him free to lean her onto her back so he was on top of her with her arms wrapped around his neck now, moaning and cooing with pleasure as she made out with him.

 _ ***Now this is more like it…***_ Karen thought as she felt his hands begin exploring her.

Knowing Karen liked it when he took the lead, he used his hand to begin pleasuring her sex, inserting a finger to rub the inside of her sex.

" **Mhmmm…"** Karen moaned as she continued to kiss him, her tongue unwilling to let her mouth's 'guest' go so she could say how good she felt.

While his mouth was enjoying her own and his finger her pussy, Karen decided to let her foot enjoy her master by stroking his member through his jeans, wanting to get it ready for the main event as quickly as possible, and as she felt it grow harder bulge out she figured it wouldn't take very long before they moved on from the foreplay.

They continued to kiss and tongue wrestle for several minutes before finally Karen let her mouth's visitor go. They panted for breath while staring into each other's eye, before they smirked and she watched David take his finger that he was using to pleasure her pussy into his mouth to taste her.

"Hmm… spicy like before… but with a hint of sweetness." He whispered to her as she blushed happily.

" **Well why are you tasting just an appetizer?"** She asked with a grin. **"Why not have a taste of the first course?"**

Taking the hint, he smiled as he pulled away from her so he could put his head in between her thins legs, which were already spread to give him perfect access to her sex. Already seeing her wet from his fingering earlier, he leaned forward and only took a small sniff, before he put his mouth to her sex and his tongue in her passage.

" **Ah~!"** Karen moaned as she sat up instantly, clamping her legs tight to lock him in place and her paws on his head. **"Right there~… it feels good when you do that~!"**

David understood and began to enjoy his 'Karen' by sucking and licking at her sex, enjoying the spicy and sweet flavor her juices provided. While his tongue was enjoying her passage, he felt her starting to rub her paws through his hair in short bursts, and felt her legs grip him and release him each time his tongue licked at her passage.

" **Ohh… keep going Master David~!"** Karen whimpered as he continued to lick at her sex, tasting her essence with his tongue and lips.

A few moments later though she began to pant heavily, and a second later she moaned loudly as she orgasmed on his tongue, releasing an intense flavor of her juices which he lapped up eagerly.

He had to admit, this was way better than any other time he's mated with Lucy or Sophia. _*I need to do this with them… I wonder how they would feel about it?*_ He thought quietly while Karen recovered.

" **How's the first course… master~?"** She asked seductively while she continued to pant.

"Wonderful…" He replied as he pulled away from her at last, but not before unzipping his jeans to release his member at long last. "But I think I'm ready for the main dish…"

" **Well come and get it 'Big D'!"** She said with a giggle, leaning back and spreading her legs again.

Smirking back at her, he leaned over her and pulled her into a deep kiss just as he pressed his member into her waiting sex. She wasn't a virgin anymore, but the fact that she was still a Braixen mating with a Human meant that no matter how many times they did it, she was still as tight as if she were.

Karen melted into her kiss with her master and absolutely loved the feeling of his dick inside of her pussy's passage once again. She could feel that her womb had sorely missed its 'visitor' from before, that it instantly opened up to give her master access. Within seconds of him entering he began to thrust in and out of her, and thanks to all of the foreplay from earlier she was well on her way to her orgasm. Still she tried to suppress the urge, she knew Lucy would be back soon and she'd take him for herself, and she wanted to enjoy him for as long as possible.

Or at least, if the tingling in her pussy was indicating as well as the speed he was pounding her at described, for another five minutes.

"Karen… you feel so good!" David moaned as he thrust faster and harder into her. "You're so warm and tight… it feels amazing!"

" **Ah… so glad… your enjoying yourself~!"** She moaned before he hit her G spot. **"AH… RIGHT THERE~! Mooore~!"**

Sensing that she loved that particular spot, he began to hit it again and again.

Karen couldn't take much more of this pleasure as she leaned her head back and let her tongue hang out. Instinctively her legs tried to wrap around his waist, but because he was wider than she was all she could do was hang them straight in the air behind him.

As David began to thrust harder and faster into his starter, he began to feel his orgasm approaching, and by the look in Karen's expression she was getting close as well.

"Karen… I'm about to come!" He whispered as he picked up his pace.

" **Me too… do it inside… like before~!"** She moaned in ecstasy.

Taking her words to heart, a few thrusts later and he hilted himself as far as he could before he felt himself cum inside of her womb. They held their pose for a few moments as he continued to release inside of her, with a bit leaking out and being caught in her fur.

"Are you alright Karen?" He asked her as he scratched her behind her ears.

" **I feel so full…"** She moaned happily to him. **"Now this… is what I wanted… from my master…"**

They both smiled at each other before he leaned forward to kiss his starter on her mouth, which she quickly responded and kissed him back just as deeply. **"Really, I leave you alone to keep an eye on him for half an hour until I come back, and you go and get 'plowed' by him?"** Lucy's voice declared, causing them both to look up and look at her staring at them with a wide grin on her face.

"Hi Lucy…" David said awkwardly.

" **It… uh… it's not what it looks like?"** Karen said with a sheepish smile.

Lucy's response was to walk in with an even bigger grin to stare at them. **"Not what its look like, huh?"** Lucy asked with a chuckle. **"So I'm not looking at the love of my 'two' lifetimes with his dick hilted inside of his starter's vagina, which I can see is leaking his seed, clearly indicating that he came inside of said starter, meaning they just finished having sex? And I obviously missed the memo that says, when I walk in on my love and his starter making out with their lips, they're expressing how much they care about one another, correct?"**

"I'm sorry Lucy… I didn't mean to, it just… sorta happened?" He said sheepishly.

" **Love, you don't have to be ashamed of having sex with other females besides me."** Lucy said with a loving smile. **"In fact, I was going to try and seduce you when I came back. Last night you were so depressed that nothing we said or did was working to help clear your head. I figured maybe if you had a 'release' of some kind, you might feel calmer so you could think more clearly."** With that she glanced at Karen with a giggle. **"Though it seems your 'bodyguard starter' beat me to it, so tell me 'Pack Leader', how do you feel now? And I don't mean how you feel with your dick still inside of a female…"**

Blushing slightly as he began pulling out to make himself decent, but Lucy put her paw on his leg to keep him from pulling out. "Uh…" He said, before she smiled knowingly, obviously telling him to say it 'while' he was still 'in' Karen. "Well, I don't feel so depressed anymore… I guess? Karen said I can't be so depressed because I need to be strong, or else you guys won't be strong."

Lucy smiled as she gave him a lick on his cheek. **"That's right… you need to be strong, not just for us but for 'your' pack."** She said. **"If you aren't strong, then we lose faith in you, and that is when we will truly lose what makes us strong, our unity. We're all in this together, and no matter what happens, we'll be with you every step of the way. Our pack lives, and dies, as our leader dictates. If you are strong, than we are strong."**

He nodded in understanding and finally Lucy let him pull out of Karen, who shuffled away rather wobbly on her feet, but still with a content smile on her face. "So Lucy… where is Sophia?"

Before she answered she asked Karen to go and keep an eye on some of the Linoones from the day before. She nodded and left, though as she did she walked rather shakily on her legs, as though she were having a hard time walking in a straight line.

" **She's talking to the elders, I asked her to learn more about expanding our living areas, with these new members and the new pups being birthed this season, we're going to need more room soon."** She said as she pushed him onto his back with a seductive grin. **"Now I know you've got a bit more stamina in you, and I know just one round with 'one' female won't suffice for you anymore… ready for round two my love?"**

"I am, are you ready?" He asked Lucy with a smile as his member began to harden instantly.

" **Well let's get started…"** Lucy whispered as she kissed him on the lips and slipped her tongue into his mouth, tugging at it to dance with hers.

While their tongues explored each other's mouths, David snaked his hands all the way to Lucy's rear to begin massaging and poking at her sex's entrance.

Lucy moaned happily as she felt her love massage and explore her passage while she made out with him. She could tell that his fear was gone now, but she wasn't interested in the future right now. All that mattered to her was that she was with him now, alone and mating with the one she loved.

 _ ***Scar be cursed with a Hex for trying to break what we have…***_ She thought as David rolled them over, still locking lips with her and making out so that she was on the bottom.

Moments later she felt her David begin trailing kisses down her body, first starting at her neck, then across her chest, tickling in between her nipples, and then finding their mark at her sex's entrance.

Instantly he began licking and kissing her entrance, having a taste of his First Prime Mate's 'flavor'. After a few seconds of licking her, he pulled away to savor her taste. "Sweet… just like a Pecha Berry…"

" **Well if you want more… just go ahead…"** Lucy said with a giggle, really enjoying this new kind of foreplay. **"My 'kitchen' is always open for you…"**

"Don't mind if I do." He said, before going back to pleasing his mate and enjoying her taste.

As he licked and sucked at her sex, Lucy tried her hardest not to flinch in pleasure or twitch because of how good she was feeling, instead she merely smiled lovingly as he 'ate' and 'drank' her juices up. Yet it was becoming increasingly harder as her body was protesting at this lack of reaction, it demanded she do something to show how good she felt, but she silenced it by leaning back and letting her love do whatever he wanted with her.

She was his Prime Mate, if he wanted to mate with her in a new way, she would let him do whatever he wished. _***Besides… I'm not complaining…***_

Her body however, had other plans though, because after a few minutes of this pleasure, she could no longer resist its reaction and began moaning. Each lick of his tongue and the feeling of his lips rubbing and kissing her sensitive walls made her moan in joy. Moments after this happened she began feeling her walls contract in orgasm, and unable to suppress herself, she finally gasped in pleasure as she came, her juices leaking and spraying David's mouth to quickly be lapped up and swallowed.

"Are you ready Lucy?" David asked as he pulled away, revealing his now hardened member standing erect.

" **Always…"** Lucy said, rolling over and lifting her rear end up in her species' traditional way to prepare for mating.

Leaning over her and hugging her tightly, David slid his dick into her warm and soft entrance, well familiar with it and which accepted him instantly. They both moaned as they instantly felt pleasure from just the initial contact, but soon enough David was thrusting at a slow and steady pace.

As they made love, Lucy glanced over at her human and smiled lovingly, blushing slightly as he continued to thrust in and out of her. **"You don't have to… be so gentle with me love…"** Lucy moaned as she bent her front half lower, trying to give his dick easier access to her womb. **"You can be rougher with me… I don't mind!"**

"Rougher huh?" He asked her, before catching her off guard and thrusting harder as she asked.

" **AH~!"** She gasped as he pushed straight into her womb, continuing to thrust heavily. **"Yes… right there~!**

While he thrusted, he pulled Lucy up and turned her head so that he could pull her into a deep and passionate kiss. Feeling his lips triggered her tongue to push into and wrap around his own tongue, which this time beckoned hers to dance inside his mouth, letting her explore at her whim.

She couldn't place her paw on it, but for some reason, this love making session felt different. Perhaps it was because earlier they were afraid of the future, but for whatever explanation she couldn't conceive of, this one seemed to be the most important session of her life. No matter what it was, she was going to show her love that she would be there to support him every step of the way.

He was her Pack Leader, as well as her Prime Mate, they were in this together.

" **Mhmm!"** Lucy groaned as she looked into his eyes, absolutely loving how close she was to her mate, and knowing that she was his and his alone.

However their love making session was coming to an end as they both felt their orgasms approaching rapidly. "Lucy, I'm about to cum again…" He whispered as they pulled away to breathe.

" **You know where I want it!"** Lucy groaned as she pushed her hips back into his thrusts, wanting to enhance their pleasure as much as possible.

With a nod he pulled her back into a kiss, and a few thrusts later he hilted as far as he could into her womb, filling her up with his seed just as she came all over his member. They held their pose for a moment before they collapsed back onto their bed, both tired and David 'very' tired.

Yet as he looked into Lucy's eyes and saw her loving smile, he knew all that had to be said.

"I love you Lucy…" He whispered to her as he pulled the blanket over them.

Lucy planted a warm kiss on his cheek before giving him her reply. **"I love you too… always will."** She said.

A minute after they began to recover from their love making, Sophia walked in with a grumpy bark. **"Ugh, how do you stand listening to those elders on official business darling?"** She asked as she walked over to her bed and began curling up. **"They would not stop talking about this and that, passageways and tunneling techniques, sewer systems and a host of other things that just makes my head spin!"**

"Hi Sophia…" David asked as he saw her. "Are you alright?"

" **As well as could be expected darling."** She said before looking at him with soft eyes. **"How are you feeling is what 'I' should be asking. You were so depressed last night…"**

"Well… I feel much better, so don't worry." He said as Lucy began licking and nipping at his neck and ears.

" **Good to know, now I know you just had sex but I'm not really in the mood tonight darling…"** She yawned loudly. **"I'm so sleepy, and I really need my beauty sleep… and those elders just wouldn't stop talking it would make a Snorlax get up just to walk away!"**

He chuckled as Sophia curled up and began to sleep, but then leaned into his First Prime Mate to make out with her mouth once again. _*Yea… I can't let this Pack War happen without trying to at least stop it…*_ He thought as he made out with Lucy. _*I can't let Lucy… Sophia… Karen… Lancelot… Terrance… or even Xerneas be hurt because I chose to become Pack Leader. I'll find a way to stop this from happening… somehow.*_

=A Call from Fate=

(Serena's PoV)

Serena sat in the dining room of the hotel where she was still staying in Camphrier Town, eating her dinner as she contemplated what she was going to do for the rest of the winter months.

" _I mean, with all of the trainers pretty much bogged down due to snow storms across Kalos, there's no need for the Champion to be present right now."_ She whispered to herself as she ate her Pumpkaboo Pie.

While she had no real plans, per say, outside of visiting her rival's grave near Geosenge Town, she was interested in trying to do something 'fun' or at the very least, fun for her. Yet Camphrier was known for history, not exactly for its fun and exciting events.

Of course she was also here to avoid the press, which were still making fun of her for taking an extended vacation.

Out of boredom she called for a waiter, paid the bill for her meal, and made her way back up to her room so that she could turn on the radio.

As she walked into her room she was greeted by her Absol, who looked up at her momentarily before returning to his nap. Her team were all in their balls, since they weren't needed to battle nor were they doing any training exercises. If she didn't know any better, she figured they were just avoiding her until she actually needed them for something.

 _*Well… they do get rather annoyed at me every time at this time of year.*_ She thought privately as she climbed into bed and lazily turned on the radio, tuning it to her favorite station.

As luck would have it, she turned it on just as the last song they were playing ended.

 _[Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to KBS 055… the Kalos Broadcasting Network, your station for music playin that never stops makin you shakin.]_ The dude on the radio said in a cool tone. _[You just finished hearing, 'Don't Slow Down for me Slowpoke', written by Monique and played by Giratina's Boys. Up next is 'Keep on Climbing' written by David and played by Angels of Arceus.]_

She smiled as she heard the name of the music writer, David the musician wrote many of the lyrics that never failed to inspire her or bring her spirits up. Ever since she heard his first song, 'On the Wings of my Friend', she made sure to buy every single record he ever came out with. Since she already knew all the lyrics to his songs by heart, she sat back and started dancing her feet in the air to the beat of the song.

 _[Never give up… Never give in… Trust in those who'll help you raise the cup!]_

"To be the best… like nobody else… that is the dream you share with the rest~" She sang alongside the radio.

 _[Take the first step to standing tall… and you'll find yourself the greatest of all!]_

"Believe in yourself and don't forget…" She called out.

 _[That when the time comes you will never regret…]_

"That you are the one to hear and answer Destiny's call!"

 _[So keep on climbing up and never fear the fall!]_

"Because when you do… you learn the only way then to stand above all." She said.

 _[Is to stand right up and climb higher so that you can stand tall!]_

The lyrics ended and the song went into the musical score, which she tapped to with her foot, enjoying the beat of the music. Each of David's songs were inspiring, never failing to bring her out of her depressed states and somehow found a way to bring a smile to her, even on her saddest days.

 _*He's sorta like my David… the way his music talks about great adventures and difficult battles… but obviously he's not.*_ She thought as the lyrics repeated now.

She sang and tapped her foot to the beat of the song and lyrics, imagining this song being written to inspire all trainers, not just her, but all trainers so that they never give up in their journeys. She didn't know about others, but it sure inspired her, when she first heard 'On the Wings of my Friend' it was when she was on the verge of quitting the League a second time. Yet when she heard the lyrics, heard the words that spoke of how the figurative person singing them fought on thanks to their friends, she felt inspired to keep going, knowing that David 'Calem' would never have wanted her to give up her dream.

 _*And now here I am, nearly nineteen years after he died, and still champion.*_ She thought sadly. _*I know somewhere, way up there in the heavens, perhaps even in the Hall of Origins with Arceus himself, you are there watching me David. I'll keep on going… no matter what I will keep going!*_

As the song ended the radio host spoke up and said that up next would be another song, but she wasn't interested now that her favorite music writer's song had ended. Instead she turned the radio off and stretched slightly.

 ***Brrng*** Her Holocaster binged, indicating she had received a message.

She sighed and pulled out her Holocaster from her pocket. "What is it now?" She complained as she turned it on.

She checked the messages and found two new recordings for her, one was from Shauna, and the other from some unknown person.

Deciding to see what Shauna said, she pulled it up and saw her friend Shauna, in her apron that she wore while working at Coiffure Clips. Thanks to the advancement in HoloCast tech, these new models allowed colored versions of calls, over the mostly blue versions of previous generations of holocasters.

 **[Hey there Serena… listen I heard about you taking another 'extended vacation' from the news.]** Shauna said with a worried voice and a concerned look on her face. **[I know he was your rival and you really miss David, heck I still miss him to this day, but you have to let go of him girl… he wouldn't want you mourning over him every day of your life. I won't tell you what to do but… please… if you need someone… anyone… to talk to for anything. You know where to stop by, the door to my apartment is always open if you ever want to visit. If you're still planning on going, just so you know, I'll be there with the others as well. We're taking some time off from work in a few months so we can go visit and pay our respects like always. So at least try to wait so we can go with you, alright? In any case… see you around.]**

With that Shauna's holographic image disappeared, and was promptly deleted by Serena. "Yea I know Shauna, you tell me that every year." She grunted. "Alright mystery caller, what do you want?"

She brought up the next call and was slightly shocked to see a girl with flowing and curling purple hair, a purple colored dress, and even her eyes were purple. She looked as if she were in a trance of some kind. "What's a Hex Maniac doing calling me?" She said, noticing that the girl looked like one of those ghost freaks she used to battle in her journey, the ones who were fascinated with ghost types and into spirits.

Moments later however, the strange girl began talking. **[I've finally found you… you are the one…]** She whispered in a hoarse voice, as if she had barely any air left to speak.

"I'm the one huh?" She said with a chuckle.

She had received messages like this, they were just chain calls sent out at random, with messages like 'send this message to this many people or a curse will fall upon you'. She waited for the chain message to be said, but what the Hex Maniac said instead caught her off guard.

 **[You have lost something precious… something important… something you need and has been taken away!]** She said calmly, but still as if she were out of breath.

 _*Something precious… what is she…*_ She thought but the girl began talking again.

 **[Not lost anymore, it has been found…]** She spoke. **[You will find it soon, that which is precious to you… that which you treasure above all… How you will view it is up to you… for only you know that which you lost which is precious to you…]**

She felt a chill down her spine as this girl spoke, it was as if she were speaking to her from another dimension. _*Creepy…*_ She thought, but weird girl was not done yet.

 **[You will soon learn… of the Pact of Destiny and Life… within the Pack…]** She said. **[You have the power… to change destiny… to change the direction of life… as do others like 'you'… you are both 'The One' and 'Not the One'… what you do with that power… is up to you.]**

With that final declaration, the message ended and the Hex Maniac's image faded.

Serena was about to delete the message, when she paused in the act. _*It was just spam… just delete it and ignore it…*_ She thought to herself.

Instead, she did the opposite, she saved the recording to her favorite messages, and replayed it again.

 _[I'm holding on to a memory, of a friend lost long ago, his actions forever haunt me in my dreams which refuse to let them go… He gave everything to save his friends and this world that we call home, he is the strongest trainer I ever knew, and now I'm without him… My doubts haunt me still and ask how in Lumiose do I still have will, if only he were still here… Betrayed in the end, by the ones that he called friends, if only I could go back to way back when… How could I stand up, and even compare, to the trainer that you were, the rival that I had back then? I am told you live on in me, then why can't I be, The Champion I want to be! ~ From the Diary of Serena]_


	28. Chapter 24

_*A clear mind and strong body make for a powerful combination.*_

 _*An even stronger will makes for an unstoppable force.*_

 _*What breaks this power, is hesitation.*_

=Chapter 24, Rivals=

(Karen's PoV)

 _ ***A physical attacking Luxray judging by the lengths of those fangs and how sharp those claws are, not to mention the muscles in his rear legs… obviously he put more emphasis in his speed and attack than anything else, alright, just activate the Reflect, endure the first hit, and then counter with your Psyshock!***_ Karen thought to herself as she squared off against her fifteenth opponent that day in the den's Lake Chamber. _***His defenses are most likely weak because he has no training in defense, so one strike should finish him!***_

Just as she predicted, the Luxray broke into a run to try and bite her with its Thunder Fang. Concentrating she took her stick, spun it around to focus psychic powers and created a physical barrier around her body to help her resist physical attacks. After that she replaced her stick and braced herself for the chomp that reached her just as she was returning her stick into her tail. Her opponent bit down, but thanks to the barrier, he barely reached past her fur before he was stopped, still the electricity shocked her a bit, but not enough to faze or paralyze her.

 _ ***Alright, hardly took a scratch, now to counter and bring him down in one hit!***_ She thought, seeing that this Luxray was roughly fifty or sixty levels below her.

Seeing that she wasn't fazed by his Thunder Fang, the Luxray tried to get distance, but this only helped her out as she took aim and fired off her Psyshock attack at her opponent, creating several dozens of rocks using her psychic powers to smash into the Luxray from all sides. Sure enough, as she had guessed, he went down in one strike.

" **That's fifteen in a row!"** Karen gloated to the Pokemon gathered around watching her and all of the other combatants.

There were a few cheers here and there, but for the most part nobody seemed proud of her.

Ever since the news that they might come under attack from Pack Flare, Sophia took a suggestion from Karen and said that it might be best to have the pack's fighting members battle each other during the winter months to become stronger.

David took the idea, and a few days later he decreed that every day members of the pack who could fight well, would battle each other in gauntlet matches until they tired or were defeated. What he didn't count on though, was Karen's competitive spirit and nature to hog most of the fighting. She could not resist the idea of showing off how strong she was and testing her capabilities.

Because of her extensive training, she out of every member of the pack, had the most experience in training for battles and preparing for the unknown. Her ability to predict her opponent's possible moves based on their species, as well as her keen eye in paying attention to the types of fighting styles they preferred, gave her an edge that nobody else had. However, because she loved to show off and fight, she had so far defeated every single opponent that tried to challenge her.

Not that she wasn't trying, but she's so far had to limit how strong she made her attacks simply because she was so much stronger and more experienced than 'any' of the pack's members. Only Yara and Nera combined could stop her, and that was because David asked her to let them win so as to keep their rank and status high in the pack, but even then she just jumped right back in. Now after fifteen battles today, she was interested in seeing if she could take on multiple members of the pack on at the same time.

" **When are you going to let someone else have a turn?"** Terrance yelled from the water, chuckling as her Luxray opponent limped away.

" **When I'm tired and can't fight!"** Karen said as she stretched her arms out and flexed her paws. **"Till then, I keep on going!"**

" **But you're a competitively trained Braixen, there's no way the members of this pack can have any hope against you!"** Terrance declared, obviously trying to convince her to leave. **"You were trained since you hatched from the egg to be a competitive battler! This pack's members only battle once in a while if the occasion calls for it."**

Too bad she doesn't take any requests from anyone but her Trainer.

" **If you're so interested in getting me out, climb out of that water and take me on ya big lug!"** She said with a grin, knowing the Lapras had absolutely no chance of beating her on land.

" **You know full well that I can't move on land, I'd have no chance against you!"**

Her only response was to grin and go back to the battle circle, where her next opponent was already entering.

As she watched this member of the pack assume a ready stance, a Growlithe this time, she took a glance over to her master as he and his two Prime Mates sat watching with the others, Lancelot standing behind him with his arms clasped behind, and the Twins Yara and Nera sitting in front of him like sentinels. Another reason she wanted to keep going was to impress her master, and perhaps show off to him.

After all, she's the starter, she's supposed to be the strongest on the team.

(David's PoV)

David watched as Karen took on yet another pack member, and sighed as he felt her interest in trying to show off for him. "She really needs to let someone else have a shot." He said to the others around him. "She's been like this since I made the decree to have our pack warriors train against one another. Now her competitive nature won't let others have a chance."

" **Leader, why don't you just order her to stop?"** Yara asked politely as the battlers began, with Karen yet again going for a Reflect before retaliating with her Psyshock.

" **Indeed, it's obvious that none of the others are strong enough to contend with your two 'tamed' bodyguards."** Nera said as well, glancing back at him.

 **(Just don't let Karen hear you calling her 'tamed'.)** Lancelot said with a chuckle. **(Otherwise she'll go crazy and probably knock out half the pack.)**

" **She wouldn't dare!"** Sophia barked. **"Honestly, that chaude dirigé firefox, she really needs to learn some self-restraint!"**

" **I agree… she does need to let others have fun."** Lucy said as she rubbed David's arm with her cheek, being careful not to hurt him with her scythe as she was on his left side.

"Trying to get Karen to restrain herself is like trying to contain a raging inferno with just a bucket of water." David said as Karen, yet again, knocked out her opponent. "But I do agree, she needs to stop winning and let others have a chance. We can't train our pack's fighters if they're all getting knocked in one hit by one member." As he watched the Growlithe limp away to let someone else fight, he felt an idea form in his head, and he grinned as he turned to the Lucario behind him. "Lancelot!"

Lancelot's eyes instantly snapped to meet his, and he nodded in understanding. **(As you wish master.)**

As he was about to walk down, they saw Terrance and Karen yelling at one another again, with the Lapras telling her off for hogging the arena. "Actually, wait a second." David said, seeing what Terrance was doing as Karen walked closer to him to argue.

 **(Alright.)** He replied with a chuckle.

(Karen's PoV)

" **I'm not getting out of the ring just because 'you're' too chicken to take me on!"** She yelled at Terrance as he just finished saying she should let others have a turn.

" **You've been at this all day, this is what your fifteenth win in a row now?"** He asked with a raised eyebrow.

" **Seventeen, not counting my twenty six streak earlier when the twins ended it!"** She replied, pretending to count on her paws.

While they talked, Icicle the Glaceon walked toward Terrance, pulling several small sleds from that carried breakfast earlier. **"Water guardian, it's time to get the distribution of food from the winter reserves."** She said in an official voice, ignoring Karen as she walked past.

" **Alright, hop on."** He said, turning around and beaching himself so she could pull the sleds and herself onto his shell.

" **Always an excuse for you big guy."** Karen said with a grin, turning around to head back to the center of the battle arena for her next opponent. **"Guess that's what you'd expect from a pacifist storyteller."**

A second after she said that she felt Terrance's patience run out, thanks to her link to him via their pact. The next second after that she felt the sheer power of his Hydro Pump attack hit her square in the back, sending her flying into the center of the field to land face first on the ground. His attack didn't hurt her, thanks to her training to resist special attacks, but because she was still a fire type, it still pained her a bit.

She got back up and glared at him while everyone else around them laughed and gasped. She figured that because he was such a gentle creature and hardly ever had to fight, they had never once seen him lash out violently.

Heck she was surprised to, not only in this life but as well as their previous life, he was the gentlest of all of their group. He only ever fought or attacked offensively at David's orders, otherwise he didn't have a mean bone in his body.

But that didn't stop her from yelling back at him. **"What was that for?"**

Terrance smirked back as Icicle pulled the last sled onto his shell. **"Just a reminder of who's the water type here."** He said. **"Be back in a bit, I've got a Glaceon to help out."**

" **Ohhh no you don't!"** Karen yelled as Terrance pushed himself away and began swimming toward the entrance to the winter reserves. **"Get back here you, 'Transport', get back and finish what you started!"** As she watched the Lapras swim away she groaned and turned back to the arena to face her next opponent, only to find it vacant still. **"Well, where's my next opponent? Is nobody going to face me?"**

All around there were some pack members who eyed each other and shook their heads, telling each other they didn't want to take her on or waiting for someone else to go. Yet a wave of talking arose from a section of the spectators as some began parting, getting out of the way of someone.

As she watched she saw Lancelot stride through the crowd, his paws behind him and a confident smile on his face. **(I will be your opponent.)** He declared. **(Our leader says you've been at this too long, its time you took a 'break'. If you want to continue, you must face me, or you could surrender.)**

She groaned as she rubbed her back, still a little sore from the attack. **"How about letting me recuperate before we fight Lance… alright?"** She growled, refusing to give up against Lancelot, especially in front of their master. _***He just haaaad to send in Lancelot, of all the Pokemon in this pack, it just 'had' to be Lancelot?***_

As Lancelot nodded and stood patiently for Karen to recover, she continued to rub her back before she glanced at her master, seeing him shrug his shoulders in apology, but she still saw the smirk on his and the other's faces.

 _ ***He better fuck me after this, if I win he better do anal with me, or at the very least finger me!***_

(Lunara's PoV)

Lunara continued to shuffle the food around the pit, being careful to sort out those that were in danger of frost bite with those needing the cold most. She had already sorted out those to be given to the pack for nourishment, and needed only the sleds to be brought in so they could be loaded.

As she shuffled, Wintra and her mate Frost, continued their patrol above her, watching the various tunnel entrances with intensely focused eyes.

Ever since the break in of the winter reserves, all of the guards were on high alert, patrols had been doubled, rotations established, and now an additional two guards posted to protect the food chamber at all times. She and Glitter had ordered the change in assignments and patrols, and it had affected all of them. Frostella was now on patrol all day and all night, watching the lower catacombs, and because of that she was charged with rationing the food for the pack.

Normally she would have considered this a high honor, because it meant a greater trust was put in her, as she not only guarded the food chamber but also ensured none of the food spoiled with her continual rotations of it. Yet all she felt was exhaustion as even more tasks were assigned to her than normal. Before during winter, all she had to do was watch the food, rotate it to keep if from freezing, and stack the sleds and bring them to the drop off cave.

Now however, thanks to the attack, all of them were now working overtime because, despite what was being done, there were only ten winter guards watching tunnels. Lancelot had recovered yes, but she had not yet seen the Lucario since the event.

In fact now that he wasn't there, she realized that she missed his company dreadfully. In fact she was now missing far more than just his company. She missed their conversations, even though Wintra and Frost were there with her, they spoke not a single word to her, and barely any to each other. All of them, including herself, were so serious in their duties that they hardly ever talked casually like he did with her when he was there.

She thought about going to her mate, Glitter, just so she could talk to him about asking him to help guard the food chamber with her. But alas, he had assigned himself to patrolling the upper catacombs with another Glalie, Blizer, and like Frostella, he was on patrol nearly all the time.

She sighed as she stopped shuffling and rotating the food, it would be fine for now, it was time she bring in the sleds and load the food for them and bring them to the drop off chamber. **"I'm going to get the sleds now."** She declared to Wintra and Frost, who nodded and resumed their patrol.

She shook her head as she left the chamber to head to the drop off chamber to get the sleds, wishing she had someone, anyone to talk to now. Not that she didn't mind the quiet, but now that she had found herself becoming accustomed to talking with Lancelot, she missed their conversations.

 _ ***He's a very sweet Lucario… not to mention strong.***_ She thought as she turned down a corridor and up one of the side tunnels. _***It's a wonder why he doesn't have a mate to his name… is he one of 'those' types I wonder?***_

She paused in her thoughts as she entered the drop off chamber, then she took two of the sleds there and began dragging them back with her to the food reserves. Without Frostella to help her out or take the sleds as normal, she would have to make a second trip back to get the other two sleds.

 _ ***If I had help it wouldn't take as long…***_ She thought bitterly as she returned to the food chamber and began piling berries onto the sleds, while Frost and Wintra continued to patrol above her.

While she finished piling berries onto the sled, she heard the sound of paws running, echoing off the chambers, as well as the sounds of something being dragged. Instantly going into defensive mode, the two guards turned to the source of the noise, preparing themselves to attack whatever intruder was down there. But moments later a Glaceon ran in dragging the remaining two sleds from the drop off chamber behind her, using her neck as a tether to pull them along.

" **Icicle, this is a pleasant surprise."** Lunara said as the other two guards relaxed slightly. **"Why the visit?"**

" **Hey Lunara, I just came to get the food in a hurry!"** She said, breathing heavily. **"Don't want to miss the big fight!"**

" **Big fight?"** Lunara asked as she began piling berries and fruit onto the empty sleds.

" **Yea, Lancelot is challenging Karen, and I don't want to miss it!"** She said happily.

At Lancelot's name she became very intent on what was being said. **"A fight, why is he fighting? Did this 'Karen' offend him?"**

" **Oh no, she's just gone uncontested, it's the first time anyone has seen Pack Leader David's two bodyguards fighting against each other!"** She said eagerly. **"He issued a decree that required all fighting members to battle each other to train and ready for a potential pack war. That's why I want to hurry up and get back, I don't want to miss it!"**

Lunara nodded and finished piling the berries onto the sled, before taking her two sleds from earlier and leading the way out. **"In that case I will join you, I wish to see this 'fight'."**

She was hesitant about leaving the caves and catacombs where her kind normally lived, but the chance to see Lancelot again, even for a brief moment, especially in combat that wasn't life threatening, was too great to miss. As they hurried on their way, Lunara couldn't help but wonder if what everything Icicle has said about Lancelot was true. Could he truly 'run on the ceiling' as she described?

(Karen's PoV)

Karen took a deep breath as she finally got up from her temporary break, and finally turned to face Lancelot, who had not moved very much since he entered the field. While she was recuperating, several members of the pack had started spreading word that he was going to take her on, and now it looked like the entire pack was surrounding them to watch the battle about to take place.

This only made her that much more interested in kicking his butt, not only to establish herself as the strongest on the 'team', but also to put that overconfident Lucario in his place. Through their pact she could tell he was concealing his emotions and thoughts, just as she was, they were the only ones aside from Xerneas with any training in the mind to do that. It was the only way they could have a chance to fight each other without revealing their strategies.

" **Alright Lance, you ready to lose in front of a crowd now?"** She said with a grin as she twirled her stick.

 **(Lose again, correct me if I'm wrong, but who was it that has the higher win record between us?)** He said back, watching her like a Skarmory. **(I believe we are currently seventeen to thirteen between us, with my score being the higher one.)**

" **Yea yea, just wait till I get in my stride!"** She growled, hating him for keeping track.

With that she stashed her stick back into her tail and waited for him to make the first move, as he often did in their duels.

There was silence throughout the chamber as everyone waited for them to begin, tensing up when Lancelot assumed an aggressive stance to Karen's defensive one.

 _ ***Alright, so start off with reflect…***_ She thought to herself, preparing her battle strategy. _***Then if he goes for either his Power Up Punch or his Aura Sphere you'll have all bases covered. Once the first hit is delivered go into Flamethrower and roast him like a Caterpie.***_

A second after she finished her trail of thought, she saw Lance's leg twitch ever so slightly, that was the cue she had been waiting for. Within moments Lance was running toward her at top speed, drawing one of his arms back to deliver the Power Up Punch.

" **Reflect!"** She yelled as she took her stick and spun it expertly to cast her defensive barrier.

She finished it just in time, as a moment later she stashed her stick and braced herself to receive the devastating first hit which sent her skidding backwards a few feet. Yet her barrier had done its job and protected her from the brunt of his attack. She smirked as she pulled her stick out and sent a blast of Flamethrower at him, but he saw her attack coming and quickly dodged out of the way, running to the side to evade it. Yet as he did he put even more distance between them which benefited her because her Psyshock could be used at any distance.

Concentrating with her mind she spun her stick around in a circular motion, and there appeared several small rocks that had been conjured up from thin air behind him. In a flash, they all swarmed at Lancelot, but yet again, as if he had sensed it coming, he jumped high into the air and dodged the attack.

 _ ***Ugh, I hate Lucarios and their Detect."**_ She thought bitterly as she sent another blast of Flamethrower to try and scorch him in the air.

As Lancelot came down, using his own fall to avoid the flamethrowers, he held an arm out and condensed an Aura Sphere at the tip of his paw, then he sent it flying straight at her.

She tried to dodge it, but she didn't have nearly as much speed as Lancelot, and as she tried to get out of its way it turned just enough to hit her square in the chest. However thanks to her fur she managed to endure a considerable amount of its damage.

 _ ***Stupid hacking, no miss, cheating move; no Pokemon deserves a move that can never miss under any condition!***_ She thought bitterly as she got up and sent another blast of Flamethrower at Lancelot, who continued to evade her attacks with little effort. _***Oh sure, he's just got to show off! He probably thinks this fight is nothing but a warm up.***_

(Lancelot's PoV)

 _ ***Ugh, I can't even attack!***_ Lancelot complained as he used Detect again to avoid more of Karen's attacks. _***I can't get close enough to land a direct hit against her, and as long as she keeps on using that Flamethrower, I have no choice but to keep my distance!***_

He really disliked fighting against Karen, despite winning against her more times than she did, it was always a challenge with her fighting style. He preferred to attack head on, up close where he excelled, it was always how he trained, not only in this life but in his previous life.

Karen however, preferred long range combat, using her Flamethrower to keep him at a distance and preventing him from getting close. All he could do was rely on his senses to detect where the attacks would be and avoid them, but each time he missed he just ended up staying out of her range.

Yet he wasn't completely helpless, after all, he was a Lucario, and what Lucario doesn't know how to not only sense auras but use them in battle?

As he dodged yet another attack, running in a wide circle to evade her, he stretched out his paw, concentrated on the aura, created an Aura Sphere in the palm of his paw, and then released it at the target aura in his mind. Sure enough, it hit without fail, but Karen merely held her ground before sending another Psyshock against him.

Sensing the attack, he jumped up high again to evade the attack, and released yet another Aura Sphere at her. But this time she had predicted his move, and cast Psyshock yet again. He saw several stones appear below him for a split second, before slamming into him, causing him severe pain, yet it wasn't enough to beat him, and it wasn't nearly enough to stop his Aura Sphere from being cast yet again.

Still though, Karen took the hit and was sent backward while he landed heavily on the ground, panting as he tried to ignore the stinging sensation the rocks from earlier had caused him.

They both stood up and stared intently at each other, catching their breaths as they paced in a circle, not glancing away at anything else, despite the fact that there were many cheers and gasps from the crowd of Pokemon that had nearly increased to maximum number of members in the pack.

 **(You just don't know when to back down Karen.)** He said, frustrated that Karen was being herself, as usual.

" **And you don't know when to give up!"** Karen shot back.

As they paced again, his view gave him vision of the lake, and he saw Terrance just out of the corner of his eye. Yet he couldn't focus on his friend's aura because he needed to keep close attention to Karen. If he made even the slightest mistake, she would finish him in one hit.

While she had been trained for power and defenses, more importantly her special attacks and special defenses, he had trained himself for speed and physical attacks. Not only did he lack the strength to withstand her attacks for any duration, she had the typing advantage.

 _ ***Master David asked me to win this fight, and I will do it if it is within my power… but by Arceus' plates this is going to be hard no matter what…***_ He thought as he saw her tail twitch, the only indication he had that she was going to attack.

(Lunara's PoV)

Lunara watched as Lancelot battled against a Braixen from above Terrance's shell as they waited off shore. When they saw the bursts of flame from the other side of the lake, they knew the battle had begun. Icicle had wanted to deliver the food so she could join the spectators, but he'd said they'd wait until the fight was over before delivering the food, though why they had to wait only he knew.

When she inquired about the delay for delivering the pack's food, he merely said, **"It's safer to sit out here and watch, then risk the food getting caught in the crossfire."**

Before she thought he was being overly cautious, but as she watched Lancelot dodge a powerful flamethrower from his opponent, she realized that his caution was well warranted. The Braixen who kept sending out bursts of flame, had a very long reach, any longer and she would be incinerating the surrounding pack members who were observing the fight. Yet despite the ferocity and number of attacks he was forced to avoid, Lancelot evaded all of them.

" **Look at him go!"** Icicle said with a hint of amazement. **"Isn't he everything I told you about?"**

" **Yes he is…"** Lunara answered, unable to tear her eyes away from the Lucario as he leaped high into the air, extended his paw and sent a blast of Aura Sphere at his opponent.

Yet his adversary easily endured the strike, and even though temporarily blinded, she raised her stick and sent another Flamethrower at him. Yet Lancelot used his momentum from his jump to evade the attack again. Then he charged head long at the Braixen, pulling his arm back and preparing to land a devastating blow.

Just as he reached her and began to follow through with his attack, the Braixen, whom she assumed was this 'Karen', swung her stick at the last second in a circular motion. Then she was punched square in the chest and sent flying backwards to land heavily against a stalagmite, creating a dent in it that could be heard in the cave.

Everyone cheered and applauded, but quickly became silent as a blast of flames erupted and flew at Lancelot, who narrowly avoided it by ducking.

Seconds later Karen landed and began sending yet more flamethrowers against him, but her body was enveloped in a protective multicolor barrier of light. **"Karen's Reflect, she got it off just before Lancelot could finish her off with that Power Up Punch."** Terrance described. **"If she hadn't done that, she would have been finished. That is one well trained Braixen my trainer has fighting for him. To be able to calmly cast that ability just as she's being rushed by a Lucario who already has an increased attack thanks to a previous Power Up Punch, and then to just as calmly and expertly resume attacking despite the pummeling she got, it takes true skill and expertise to do that."**

" **But look at Lancelot, look at how he moves!"** Icicle said awestruck.

" **He moves as though his feet are blessed by Arceus himself…"** Lunara said, unable to believe that the Lucario that saved her life three times could move so fast so easily. **"And his attacks are so powerful that it's like Giratina would be no match for him…"**

" **Yea, Lancelot has trained himself for great speed and physical power, because of his bond to our trainer he can dodge most attacks, so long as he's in his presence."** Terrance said as Lancelot dodged yet more Flamethrower attacks, evading each one as if it took almost no effort. **"Lancelot has trained himself so that he can protect David from anything, he won't admit it openly, but he carries a heavy burden that he put on himself. Ever since a… incident… happened many years ago, he has sworn to protect our trainer with his life. Thus he trained so hard, even while he searched for him he never stopped training, so that when the day came when they found each other, he would be able to protect him against anything."**

" **Such devotion… such loyalty… and he's so powerful, as well as kind…"** Lunara whispered as Lancelot avoided yet another Psystrike from Karen, and rushed her with another Power Up Punch. **"And he still has no mate to his name… if only…"**

(Karen's PoV)

Karen braced herself for the attack that was coming, a plan having formed in her mind, and when it came she was sent flying back once more into the same stalagmite from before, creating an even deeper dent in it. _***Ugh… two Power Up Punches… feels like I've been hit by a Slaking using Giga Impact… and he's got a third one now.***_ As she recovered from the pain, she felt her Reflect barrier starting to waver and break, it would only endure perhaps one more attack from Lancelot.

However before she could get back into a fighting stance, Lancelot rushed at her and began attacking her with lightning fast attacks from both his paws and feet, striking her repeatedly as he used Close Combat. **"Uuugh…"** She moaned as she endured the attack, knowing she only had one chance to win this.

As she felt the last hit connect, her Reflect barrier finally broke down, exposing her fully to physical attacks. Yet she had endured, and just in time as Lancelot jumped back, gasping for breath with how intense the attack had been, lowering his defenses.

" **Gotcha…"** She whispered, before whipping her stick out of her tail and sending a torrential Flamethrower right where Lancelot was. **"This victory is mine!"** She exclaimed, but a second later an Aura Sphere flew right through her flamethrower and smacked right into her chest, yet again, knocking her back several feet and causing her to collapse heavily onto her knees.

With her broken concentration her flamethrower ended, revealing Lancelot burned but still standing as well as gasping for breath. Without any hesitation he charged her yet again, pulling his fist back to deliver another Power Up Punch.

Unable to counter in time, and without her Reflect barrier to protect her, she knew it was over, and all she could do was fling her arms up and scream, **"I GIVE!"**

Just as she finished screaming Lancelot stopped his attack, an inch in front of her face, any closer and he would have knocked her cold. Then he flicked one of his fingers and bopped her nose, wearing a grin on his face. **(Eighteen, thirteen… Karen.)**

" **Yea, yea… whatever…"** She groaned as she got up and wearily glared at him. **"One of these days Lance… one of these days…"**

 **(I know, pow, bam, straight to the Distortion world…)** He chuckled as he patted her back and helped walk her out. **(Someday you'll beat me, but not today Karen.)**

" **Yea right…"** She growled at him, before smirking. **"At least I'm not the only one in our group with their 'Vcard' still."**

With that she just turned and walked off to join her master's side, leaving Lancelot to blush awkwardly alone amidst the cheers and shouts of the various pack members watching.

(David's PoV)

"I'm glad that they held back, but did they have to be that intense?" He asked his two Prime Mates as he did his best to ignore the burning sensation he was feeling.

" **At least Karen didn't incinerate him."** Lucy said, though she too wore a pained expression on her face.

" **Talk about going overboard."** Sophia barked.

As Karen walked between the pack members to join David and the twins, she winked at him and sat behind him. **"How'd you like my performance?"** She asked him.

"You were impressive, but was it really necessary to…" He started saying, before he went silent at seeing Xerneas approaching the arena from the direction of her alcove.

(Lancelot's PoV)

As he took a deep breath to recuperate from the burns he had received from Karen, grateful that she did indeed injure him to a degree that someone else would have a better chance against him, he sensed the approaching aura of Xerneas herself and looked up to see her approaching.

As she made her presence known, the entire pack went quiet and made way for her, barely breathing as she easily and gracefully stepped through the various members who made way for her. All were silent as she approached Lancelot, and stopped some distance from him while in the space allocated for battles.

 **(Xerneas… what are you doing here?)** He asked politely, knowing the Life Pokemon never left her grove unless it was for a very good reason.

She merely glanced down at him before her horns lit up, and he felt a warm and comforting wave wash over him, feeling all of his burns cooling and healing. Even as he watched, his fur began to return to its normal blueish color, instead of the blackish hue it had gained from being burned. **(Healing your wounds, how else are you to challenge me in your condition?)** She declared, causing gasps of amazement from the pack members.

 **(But…)** He began to say as she finished healing his injuries, before she interrupted him.

 **(Our pack leader decreed that 'All fighting capable members, battle each other in single combat, to prepare ourselves for an eventual pack war.)** She declared. **(Though I am the life giver, I am still a member of this pack, and even I must obey our leader's decrees. He is both my Master and my charge, just as I am both his charge and caretaker. Now… prepare yourself Lancelot. For I will be your next opponent.)**

Knowing that she was serious, he took a defensive stance and prepared himself for battle. There was silence as everyone awaited the start of the battle.

 _ ***I've never fought a legendary class Pokemon before… how does Xerneas fight?***_ He thought, trying to sense what she was thinking, but unable to because of her mental discipline.

He tried to remember how she battled in his previous life, but all he remembered from that day, was that David recalled her before she could be harmed in battle. The rest of them did all the fighting.

He also figured it was pointless to try and read her mind through their pact, after all, she was the central focus of it, and obviously had the most control out of all of them. They could not read her emotions as easily as she could read theirs.

Then he saw her tail twitch ever so slightly, and he braced himself for some unknown special attack to come from her, but instead the ground beneath her began to shine. As he watched four different colored rocks, geodes if he remembered what David called them, poked out of the ground, each one matching the colors of her horns, and emitted a beautiful array of lights that her horns absorbed.

Unsure of what she was doing, he merely stood there and braced himself for some attack to arrive from long range. Instead she merely absorbed the lights, and then ran at him with far greater speed than he imagined she could achieve. She moved at a speed even faster than he could manage.

When she was close enough, she reared on her rear two legs, and began rapidly attacking him with her front two, mirroring how he attacked whenever he used Close Combat.

The attack was so powerful that he could not endure it, and when it was over, he collapsed almost instantly, his body feeling like it had been hit by multiple Golems using Body Slam, while being pummeled by Machamps who were all using Seismic Toss. A moment later he felt a wave of warmth wash over him, and realized that she was once again healing him.

As he was being healed, he looked up and saw her frowning down at him. **(You hesitated Lucario… a mistake that you cannot afford to make.)** She declared. **(No matter who your opponent is, whether they are friend or foe, an ally or an enemy, you must not hesitate when you battle them. Remember what I said… our pact binds all of us, you, Karen, me, Sophia, Lucy, Terrance, and David. If one of us falls we all fall, you cannot afford to let yourself be killed because you hesitated.)**

 **(I didn't know…)** He began to say, but again Xerneas interrupted him.

 **(That is no excuse, just because you do not know what attack your opponent will use, is no reason to hesitate and allow them a chance to strike you. If I had been an enemy determined to kill you, you would be dead now. And so would all of us… you must protect ALL of us. Just as we would protect you. You are not just a bodyguard to a human… remember that.)**

She finished healing him and began walking away, going over to David, leaving Lancelot to wearily get up and follow behind her, allowing others in the pack their chance. When they reached him, she merely told him that she has considered his request, and declared that she would fulfill it.

 **(Expect a certain male who has been having 'trouble', to become a father in the next few days.)** She declared, grinning as she turned to leave.

Just as she began to leave and Lancelot took his place behind David, Gentaal walked in with the pups he was taking care of, with a few of the Ekans that he had been watching over nearing their age of maturity.


	29. Chapter 25

_*Friendship can last a life time…*_

 _*A friendship that lasts a lifetime is a treasure…*_

 _*But can it last through 'two' lifetimes?*_

=Chapter 25, The Rivals Reunion=

=One week after Vicious' assault=

(Serena's PoV)

"So this is where he lives?" Serena whispered to her Absol as they stood outside of the cottage. "I figured he lived an 'average' lifestyle for a writer… but this is way below average."

" **Sol…"** He said in agreement as they stared at the run down building.

Earlier that day while Serena was shopping around Camphrier Town for some new music to listen to, especially hoping to find a new song by David, the store clerk told her that he actually lived nearby. When she asked, he said that he lived in a cottage down the road on Route 6.

"Though I haven't seen him for a good six months, I'm wondering what happened to him." He said. "I've got a brother working in the salon nearby, and he says he hasn't seen David either, normally he brings his pet Furfrou 'Sophia' for a trim every few weeks."

When she heard the name 'Sophia', she had a sudden flashback to her rival's team, because he too had a Furfrou named Sophia. Yet she shook her head and told herself it was just coincidence, but it still caused her a slight pain in her heart because it reminded her of him.

So, wanting to stop by her favorite song writer's place to see him, as well as perhaps getting a glimpse at his latest song idea, she got the directions to where he lived and made her way down the road. Despite being the Kalos Champion, she took her Absol out so that he could protect her from wild Pokemon, as well as discourage people from challenging her.

Fortunately she didn't have to worry about being challenged, as most of the trainers weren't traveling through the winter season. Only the truly serious were still battling and traversing between the towns and cities, and of course most of those trainers were in areas with far more powerful Pokemon. So the only thing she had to worry about were the wild Pokemon, but most of them seemed to have taken shelter during the winter season as well.

When she reached the cottage at long last, she found, not a nice warm and cozy living place, but a rundown building with weeds and snow surrounding it, the door was hanging open slightly, and all of the windows were opened, letting the cold winter air in. The mailbox nearby was chock full of unpaid bills and notices, bills and notices that were at least several months old. The roof was completely covered in snow, piled high enough that anymore and it would cause a possible cave in of the building.

She was slightly cautious about entering it, because a part of her remembered that one message from the Hex Maniac from before. _**[You will find it soon, that which is precious to you… that which you treasure above all…]**_

"Something is not right about this scene Absol." She said, looking around for any signs of break-ins or anything out of the ordinary. "Are we sure this is the right place?"

" **Absol."** He said with a confident nod.

"Alright… let's go see if anyone's home." She said, though she said it halfheartedly.

They walked up to the front door and knocked on it, but the door swung inward easily, revealing the vacant interior.

"Oh yea, definitely suspicious." She commented.

The inside of the cottage was a spacious two room living space, with one space serving as both kitchen, living room, bedroom, and dining room, while the other was obviously the bathroom. The main room was ransacked, chairs turned over, the bed scratched and devoid of blankets and pillows, the stove turned off, and almost completely barren. The table was devoid of anything, and only a piece of paper was left.

Wanting to see if perhaps anything in the fridge could answer as to why there was nobody there, she walked over to it and opened the door, before instantly closing it as a foul smell hit her nostrils. "Ugh… definitely nobody has lived here for at least a few months!" She choked, trying to wave the smell away from her nose.

" **Sol!"** Absol said, getting her attention and looking at the piece of paper on the table.

She walked over to the table and saw that the paper, yellow and faded with age now, had some kind of song lyrics written on it, with various words scribbled in and crossed out. "The Last Childhood Dream." She read out loud.

As she silently read out the song, she felt a tear fall from her eyes, and knew that it was indeed David the writer's handwriting. She knew that something like this had to be heard by more than just herself. So without even looking she slowly released her team one at a time so that they could hear the song that had been written. "Guys, I know it isn't a battle or anything, but I want you to listen to this." She said to them once she had their full attention.

" **Meow!"** Her Meowstic said, climbing up onto a chair that her Greninja put back up, while her Altaria flew up and landed on the table itself, shivering slightly because she did not enjoy the cold.

When they were ready, she took a deep breath, and began reading the song out loud. _"When the last Pidgey flies, over the vanishing emerald plains. When the final Gallade stands, within the burned down forest. When the final Magikarp swims, in the foul smelling river. You will see her, old and faded, the last hope for a dream."_

She felt herself hiccup as she read it out loud, despite having read it once, it was bringing a tear of sadness to her as pictured those sad images in her mind. Seeing a Pidgey flying over what was probably left of its home. A proud Gallade standing within the burned remains of his territory, the forest that so many lived in as well. And the image of a Miagikarp, swimming in the filth of a river that nobody cared about, despite it being the home of living, breathing creatures. She saw her own team starting to look depressed slightly as she read the song out to them, but she still wasn't done.

" _When you feel the fading light of sunset, and its warmth leave you shivering. When you look to the sky, and see only dark clouds gather. And it seems all hope is lost, and you let shadow rule your souls. In the distance, hear her song now, it's her last hope for dreams!"_ She sang. _"We're alive… still alive, my friends…"_

She felt herself shiver slightly as she imagined the sunset being portrayed. The lyrics painted such a terrible image, yet whoever it was that kept appearing at the end, this 'last hope for dreams', continued to provide a glimmer of light and a single ray of hope. Yet still the song wasn't finished.

" _When the last Lunatone awakens, on a dark and starless night. And the hopes of brighter futures fade, without even a whisper of ever being seen. Then look through the trees and forest, see her standing with love and kindness. She's the last hope for dreams!"_ She sang sadly. _"We're alive… still alive, my friends…"_

She sniffed sadly as she put the piece of paper down, amazed that something like that had been written. Her team looked a little depressed, but at the same time happy that they had indeed heard the song as well.

It spoke of a depressing moment in life, when apparently nobody cared about Pokemon anymore. Yet the spark of hope that the dreams could be saved continued to shine throughout the depressing times. It said that all one had to do to keep the dream alive, was hear 'her' song, listen to its call, and never forget that you are still alive.

"Well, at least we know he lives here, or at least 'lived' here, but where is he?" She said, looking around again to try and find some evidence as to where he went. "Guys, look around, see if you can find something, anything, which might tell us what happened to this guy."

" **Flare!"** Her Flareon declared as they all separated to investigate.

As they looked, Serena found that nearly anything and everything that was either of value or useful was gone. The blankets on the bed, to the pillows and the sheets were gone. The bathroom had no soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, wash cloths, towels, nothing remained in it. There weren't even any trinkets left, no old toys, no photos, nothing.

At least until her Meowstic opened up a drawer near the bed and found a framed photograph. **"Meowstic!"** She said, showing her the picture.

"What's this?" She asked, taking the picture and looking at David.

It showed a young boy of about twelve years old, with his parents behind him in front of a Highschool in Lumiose, and in front of them were a pair of Furfrous. One was obviously this 'Sophia', his pet Furfrou, and the other Furfrou was her mother. Yet it was the boy that caught her attention.

"He looks like… my David…" She whispered sadly, touching the image with her finger.

It was true, even though he clearly looked just like his parents, this writer looked a lot like her 'David' when he was lost. In fact, if she didn't know any better, he could have passed as an older version of him. He had the same dark hair, the same colored eyes, even the same gentle and warm smile that her David had. His Furfrou pet even had a handmade collar, obviously made by him because she was wearing it proudly, clearly evidencing that he cared a lot about Pokemon, just like her David 'Calem' did.

She put the picture back and shook her head. "He's not 'my' David… I have to focus!"

Then her Meowstic got her attention again, as she began clutching her head in confusion. "What's wrong?" Serena said.

" **Meow…"** She replied, her eyes moving from side to side.

Not liking not knowing what was going on, she pulled out her translator and switched it on. "Repeat that Meowstic?" She asked.

" **We are not alone…"** She said to her.

Her team went on full alert at that, and she too looked around for whoever her Meowstic had sensed. But around the ram shackled shack, she saw nothing but the ruins of a once decent living space.

(Karen's PoV)

" **Great, just great!"** She said. **"Why did I have to listen to that French poodle?"**

Karen bent as low as she could out of her master's old home, griping and complaining about how her stupid master's pet Furfrou wife had conned her into doing this. _***It's just a picture she forgot about, she said.***_ She thought bitterly. _***It'll take no time at all she said, its super important, I have to have it, she said! Of all the stupid things that poodle had to con me into doing, it had to be this doesn't it?***_

She had to run into Serena and her team, of course it just _had_ to be the champion Serena and her team checking the place out.

She had hoped it would be a simple task, get the photo, get back to the den, impress David and get laid. But now with Serena and her team there, it became ten times more complicated.

Xerneas had revived them, yes, but to the whole world and especially their former lives' friends, she and the others all died. If she was spotted and one of them somehow recognized her, there would be a slew of questions asked.

Normally she wouldn't be afraid, because to the naked eye of humans and some Pokemon, all Pokemon of the same species looked the same. But to psychic types, they could sense the faint mental patterns of individuals as easily as if they were black and white. Serena's team had a Meowstic on it, and if that female spotted her, she'd easily recognize who she was.

 _ ***I don't care what that poodle says, no amount of time with Master David is worth this, even if she said she'd convince him to spend an hour with me!***_ She thought as she heard Serena's Team moving around inside. _***I swear… she'd better be serious about him spending an hour with me! If it's anything less than an hour, that poodle's going to be spending a week isolated while her FUR grows back.***_ She waited until she heard the last footsteps go to the door before she did a quick peak to check inside.

Serena's team had just walked outside, leaving the inside empty. So while the coast was clear, Karen leapt as high as she could and climbed into the building through the side window in the bathroom. **"Ugh… stinks like a Muk in here!"** She whispered as she looked for the bedside counter with her master's kid picture.

She saw it across the room, and ran quickly over to find the picture. **"Dangit… where is it?"** She whispered frantically, emptying the drawers one by one before finally she opened the last drawer and found it. **"Finally… huh… he's not half bad looking as a kid. Kind of cute now that I think about it… though I do miss the hat… it made a nice chew toy."**

Then as she began preparing to leave again, she heard the floor creak behind her, causing her to freeze up. Then she slowly turned her head around to see behind her, and saw a female Meowstic standing on two legs looking at her.

Normally Meowstics, especially the females, had a stoic expression when they weren't expressing emotions, but this Meowstic had a look of shock on her face. It was as if she had seen a ghost, and not a ghost type. _***Oh crap…***_ She thought unhappily, realizing what had just happened. _***This… is going to get really ugly… really fast…***_

The Meowstic just stared at her, unable to tear her eyes away. Then she opened her mouth and said three words. **"It can't… Karen?"** She whispered in disbelief.

 _ ***So much for Plan A, remain incognito!***_ She thought, pulling her stick out of her tail and lighting it within a fraction of a second. _***Time for PLAN B!***_

She whipped her stick forward and cast Psyshock, having no time or patience to talk. Within microseconds small rocks materialized around Meowstic and smacked her from all sides, distracting her long enough to grab the photo, stash her stick away, and make a run for the window in the bathroom. **"SHE'S GETTING AWAY!"** She screamed as Karen jumped through the window and landed in the snow.

Knowing she had only a few seconds, she ran through the snow, and then had to duck as she felt a Psyshock was cast against her now. She turned around just enough to see that the Meowstic was now following after her, and right behind her was Serena and the rest of her team.

" **Oh great, just what I need!"** She yelled as she continued running. **"I have to get back... before they find out where the others are!"**

Knowing that she had to lose Serena before she found out about the rest of her team, Karen pulled her stick out while running, and sent a blast of Flamethrower high into the air, as high as she could. It was the signal to any nearby members of Pack David that she was in trouble and requested assistance.

"Stop right there!" Serena shouted, but Karen ignored her, knowing that any reaction would provoke Serena.

Then as she ran off the path and toward the den entrance, a Glaceon and two Mightyena ran toward her.

Boy was she glad her status as David's bodyguard gave her some authority, without it she couldn't have ordered these three to act as her backup in case of an emergency.

" **Bodyguard Karen, what is…?"**

" **No time to talk, distract them!"** She ordered. **"I can't be followed back to the den, stall em!"**

The Glaceon nodded and jumped past her with the two Mightyena, and instantly heard the sounds of growls and snarls behind her. Karen knew they didn't stand a chance against the Champion's team, but she prayed that they could at least slow her down enough to get back to the den without it being detected.

(Serena's PoV)

Serena could not believe her eyes, a 'wild' Braixen here of all places?

But as she chased after it with her team, recalling them one at a time so that she and Absol could keep up, she couldn't understand why it was in the house of all places? Or why it had attacked her Meowstic and run off. But she wanted answers, and she was determined to get them.

As she chased the Braixen down with Absol, she watched it pull out its stick while holding something in its other hand, and sent a jet of flames high into the air. "Why would it do that?" She asked her Absol. "It makes no sense to do that unless…"

She watched as the Braixen ran past a pair of Mightyena and a Glaceon, and the three Pokemon began growling at her with their fangs bared and wearing determined expressions.

"Unless it was a signal." She finished.

She and Absol stopped at the three Pokemon before her and readied themselves for battle. She had faced Mightyena before, and Glaceons as well, but she has never faced them in this form before. Plus she has never seen Pokemon act coordinated on their own before, responding to signals and operating with little communication between one another. These three Pokemon responded to the signal and intervened for the Braixen, this was way different behavior than she was used to.

"We need to get past these three Pokemon Absol. That Braixen has answers and we need to get them." She said.

" **Sol!"** Her Absol said, since she removed her translator back at the shack.

(David's PoV, minutes later)

"So where did you send Karen off to Sophia?" David asked as he and his two Prime Mates made their way down to the lake chamber to eat.

Lucy said she was hungry and wanted to get something to eat, so they decided to go down together, both to observe how the pack's members were doing in their battles to prepare and because they were hungry as well.

" **Back to our old home Maitre."** She replied. **"I just remembered yesterday that I left behind an old picture of us when we were younger there. In my rush to go with you when we first came here, I completely forgot about it darling!"**

" **You sure it's wise to send Karen there with no help?"** Lucy asked. **"I know it seems important, but it's just a picture. What if she's spotted? What if someone tries to catch her?"**

" **It's just a picture? Listen here you 'catastrophe idiot', that picture was taken when my maître made me a lovely collar on his own! It is very important!"** She snarled back.

"I have to agree with Lucy on this Sophia, it is a bit of a risk asking Karen to do that." He said. "But how did you get her to go on her own? She wouldn't leave us for anything unless she got something really good out of it."

" **Well…"** Sophia replied hesitantly. **"I sorta… said I'd convince you to… you know… spend some time with her… for a full hour."**

"So 'I'm' the bargaining chip huh?" He chuckled. "Well, I guess I have no choice then, but next time… please don't do something like this again behind my back. As much as I…"

" **Master Daviiiiid!"** He heard someone yelling behind him, causing him to turn and see Karen running and gasping for breath.

"Karen, what's wrong?" He asked when she reached them.

" **First… of all…"** She gasped, before she smacked Sophia with a photo. **"Here's… your stupid… photo… you poodle! Totally… not… worth it!"** After a few seconds she began catching her breath and started talking normally. **"Now… we've got big problems master. Serena's on her way here!"**

"Serena… you mean… Champion Serena, our old friend from 'BEFORE' Serena?" He asked in disbelief. "But how… she… why is she coming here?"

" **Her Pokemon spotted me, one of them recognized me I think, I've had Icicle and a couple of Mightyena stalling her but they won't last long."** She said worriedly. **"Her Absol can track my scent, and if he doesn't track me then he'll track Icicle and the others! What do we do, she still thinks we're dead!"**

"Oh man… if she gets here and finds out we're alive…" He said, picturing the absolute worst that could happen. "She could have a mental break down, she might believe she's lost her mind, she could even kill us by mistake just to convince herself we're not real, or even kill herself!"

" **Okay… so we don't reveal ourselves!"** Lucy said quickly, but she too was panicking now. **"We barricade the entrance, we have everyone take cover and the rest of us hide in the Winter Reserves caverns until she leaves! Terrance can hide underwater until she goes away, and Xerneas hides in her Masterball and she comes with us. Simple as that right?"**

"Yea… that'll work!" David said, liking her idea. "Quickly, let's go get Terrance and Lancelot and then Xerneas."

Just as they began making their way to the lake chamber again, they were stopped yet again by another Pokemon, a Mightyena male. **"Pack Leader!"** He growled. **"Icicle and her two Mightyena helpers have returned, a human is on their way here, they were badly injured and were unable to stop the intruder from following them. The entrance will soon be discovered!"**

"Crap… she moves fast." He commented to himself before giving instructions. "Gather the Ariados, have them block off the entrance to the den with a web of silk to bar her entrance. In the meantime, have the Sevipers stall her as long as they can and gather some more Mightyena to assist them! Once the Ariados are finished, retreat into the den and take shelter in your chambers."

" **Yes Pack Leader!"** He said before quickly leaving, though just as he did Yara and Nera came running down the passageway as well.

" **Pack Leader David!"** They declared.

"Yara, Nera, this is an emergency." He said to them. "Issue the alert to all pack members, their orders are to take shelter in their chambers until further notice. If anyone questions, tell them a dangerous intruder is about to enter the den!"

" **What about the pups and Gentaal in the nursery?"** Nera asked. **"Some of our females recently gave birth to newborns, they cannot be moved from the nursery for at least several days."**

"Have Gentaal protect the entrance to the nursery, tell him if anyone approaches to simply threaten them away and not actively attack, until the 'all clear' is given." He declared.

" **As you command Pack Leader!"** Yara said as he and his sister began leaving.

"Come on guys, Serena won't take long to get here!" He said as he began hurrying to the lake chamber, just as several short screeches sounded throughout the den.

(Serena's PoV)

"So that's where those three ran off to…" Serena whispered as she spotted what looked like the entrance to an underground cave. "Good thing you didn't cause them to faint, otherwise we might not have found this cave."

" **Absol…"** Her Absol said in agreement.

"Strange though… why would Mightyena and a Glaceon live together, this is way weird." She said. "Well, that Braixen obviously knew those Pokemon, and it obviously ran this way, so let's go find out what's inside."

" **Sol!"**

They walked slowly to the entrance to this cave, not knowing what they would encounter. However upon reaching the entrance, Serena had to duck to avoid something purple and gooey from hitting her face.

" **Seviiipeeeer!"** A Seviper hissed angrily, just as another Seviper hissed and brandished its sword-like tail against her.

Then at their cries, four Mightyena jumped forward to stand beside them, growling and bearing fangs and claws against her and Absol. "Absol!" She screamed.

" **Sol!"** He said, jumping forward and waiting for instructions.

She expected them to attack, but all they did was stand there and hiss or growl at her threateningly. _*What is this, Seviper, here of all places?*_ She thought. _*We're nowhere near Route 8, and where are all of these Mightyena coming from, and why are they working together?*_

She tried to look past the Pokemon guarding the entrance to this cave, but couldn't see too deep inside. Whatever it was they were obviously guarding was very important, or else they would not be trying to keep her away.

"Alright then… looks like we do this the hard way Absol." She said. "Let's not waste our energy on Mega Evolution, let's just get through these guys. Start off with Night Slash!"

" **Absol!"** He yelled as he brandished his claws and charged straight at the Mightyena first, who responded with their Crunch Attacks.

(David's PoV)

"What do you mean we can't run from this Xerneas?" He said to the legendary as she knelt in her grove.

 **(It is as I've said, we cannot run from this meeting.)** She replied calmly.

"You don't understand Xerneas, Serena thinks we're dead, as far as she knows David 'Calem' died over eighteen years ago!" He said, hearing the Pokemon evacuating the lake chamber outside. "We can't be seen by her, if she finds out we're alive who knows what she'll do! She might lose her mind."

 **(You have very little faith in your former rival, for one who has absolute faith in his team.)** She said to him with a frown. **(You have been blessed with a second chance at life my master, you have the opportunity to do what none of your species can. This Serena was a good friend of yours in your former life, and it is clear that she still holds you in high regard. You can no more run from your past, than you can flee from your own shadow, so do not attempt to run from her.)** She bent her head closer and rubbed his cheek with her own. **(Be strong… do not flee from her… this meeting has been destined by fate to happen, it was destiny's call that she find you once again. I have witnessed her actions while you grew, from afar I observed her as much as you. She mourns greatly for you, the pain of losing you was unbearably hard for her, have faith in her strength and confront her as I ask. Believe in her David… as your team believes in you.)**

He sighed as he heard her words, and knew she was adamant about this. "Are you sure this is the right way Xerneas?" He said. "What if things just become worse… what if something horrible happens? She thinks I'm dead, wouldn't it be easier to just simply let her keep believing I'm dead?"

 **(Easier perhaps, but not better.)** She replied with a frown. **(Lancelot believed at a time that he would never find you, would it have been easier to simply give up and return to the Tower of Mastery for him? Yes… but he chose to follow Karen's belief, and continued to seek you out, and the rewards for his efforts have been given. It would have been easier for Karen to simply not bother looking for you, to evolve at her numerous previous trainer's demands, but she resisted and endured. Would you have asked 'her' to simply do what you have proposed to me now? To just do what is 'easier' for her?)**

He sighed and shook his head. "No I wouldn't have…" He answered her. "Are you sure this is what we have to do Xerneas? If something bad happens…"

 **(What will happen, will happen… and you must meet it when it does my master.)**

He nodded in understanding. "You know Xerneas… you really do have a way of convincing me to do things I don't want to do. Even more so than Lucy or Sophia, or any of the others as a matter of fact."

 **(It is a fact of life my young master.)** She said as she stood up to her full height. **(That often we believe ourselves superior and beyond the control of others, but then we find ourselves submitting to the demands of those we allow to control us. Is this not true for all Pokemon trained by humans? I am vastly more powerful than you, but I obey your orders by my own wishes.)**

He chuckled and stood up as well, before leaving with Xerneas to enter the lake chamber, where the others were waiting next to Terrance for him. "Guys, we're not hiding from Serena." He said to them.

 **(What?)** Lancelot asked in confusion.

" **What are you talking about?"** Terrance said.

" **We can't let her see us maître, if she spots us..."** Sophia barked.

" **What are you thinking, we're** _ **dead**_ **to her and the world, if she rats us out we'll be on the run for the rest of our lives!"** Lucy yelled.

" **Did I really go through all of that for this?"** Karen said angrily.

"I know guys… but Xerneas said that this is something we must deal with, we can't run from it." He told them. "I don't like it any more than you guys do, but she's right. We have to deal with Serena now, when it will be just us and her."

There were looks of worry among all of them, heck even he had one himself, but eventually they all nodded in understanding. **"Alright… if 'you' say so master."** Karen complained bitterly. **"If you say to jump, I'll jump."**

" **I don't like it… but if we have to."** Lucy whispered.

" **You lead, your pet follows."** Sophia barked nervously.

" **I'll go where you go chief."** Terrance said calmly.

 **(I follow your lead, no matter what fate awaits us.)** Lancelot said respectfully, holding up the arm that had his megastone.

"We do this together guys… remember." He whispered nervously. "Alright… Lancelot, we can't risk Serena hurting the other pack members, and you're the fastest one among us. I want you to get her attention, and draw her here, the faster the better."

 **(As you wish.)** He said, before leaving as quickly as he could.

(Serena's PoV)

"These Pokemon sure are trying to stop us." Serena said as her Absol used his horn to slice through the webbing in their way. "They stall us so we can't enter, then they seal the entrance so we can't follow. I have never seen Pokemon behave this way, something is going on here!"

" **Absol…"** Her Absol said as he sliced enough of the webbing away for them to pass.

"Alright pal, let's see what's down here." She said, taking the lead as she did. "Stay on alert, there could be more trouble up ahead."

They began heading down into the cave, but instead of things getting darker it became brighter as she looked around the walls to see dozens of luminescent rocks embedded into the walls, lighting the tunnels she and her Absol passed. As they went deeper there appeared more tunnels, each leading this way or that way.

"What is this place…?" She asked in amazement. "It's like the Glittering Cave in here, or Reflection Cave."

" **Sol…"** Absol whispered as he too looked around in wonder.

As they walked down another tunnel and exited into a large chamber, she looked around to see if there was any trace of the Braixen from before, or what it was these Pokemon were trying to protect. But everything pointed to this place being some kind of, den or something, because the chamber looked capable of holding a huge number of Pokemon. There was also a sort of, section that looked like it was reserved, or at least that's what it appeared to her. Like there was something important that was supposed to be there.

"This place is weird… imagine what Sycamore would say if he saw this place." She whispered to her Absol. "When we leave we need to give him a call, this is so weird, and we've never seen anything like this in all of our travels."

" **Absol."** He said.

There was a moment of silence before an explosion occurred right in front of them, catching them completely off guard. Instantly they turned around to see who their attacker was, and this time she saw a Lucario staring at them intently, its paw raised as if it had just cast an Aura Sphere.

"A wild Lucario?" She asked in amazement and Absol took a defensive position in front of her, expression set as he prepared to defend her yet again. "Wait a second…"

She looked at its right arm and saw something wrapped around it, something like a bracelet, and as the Lucario turned around to walk away, she saw a Megastone embedded into the bracelet. Yet the bracelet looked oddly familiar, but before she had a chance to get a closer look the Lucario began running away from them. "Come on Absol, we have to catch that Lucario!" She ordered, racing ahead to try and keep up with the Pokemon.

As they ran after it, it continued to slow down just enough so that she and Absol were in visual range before making for a large opening in the tunnel. As she raced after it and through the tunnel entrance, she and Absol exited into a huge cavernous, underground lake chamber, at least seventy feet or more wide. The chamber was so large it had a sort of, beach on it bordering the lake itself.

She looked around for the Lucario after the sheer size of the underground lake chamber amazed it, and then she saw it.

But it wasn't alone, as it slowed down when it reached a group of others around it.

Among this group, was the Braixen from before, an Absol, a Furfrou, and a Lapras floating in the water behind them all. But standing taller than all of the Pokemon there, was a Pokemon she never thought she'd see again.

Xerneas, the Life Pokemon.

"Xerneas… you…" She whispered, in amazement. "What are you doing here, and… who are…"

She was shocked that Xerneas was there, everyone had wondered what happened to the Life Pokemon she, Shauna and David had rescued. But she was confused about why the legendary of Kalos was with Pokemon similar to her old rival's team. Then she saw that there was someone else in the chamber, besides the Pokemon present.

Standing next to Xerneas, wearing what looked like dirty jeans and a shirt, a gentle expression on his face and wearing a sad frown, was an adult male of about nineteen years old.

She stared at his eyes and saw something faintly familiar about them, a look that she has not seen in over eighteen years.

"Hi Serena…" The man said sadly. "It's been a while… hasn't it?"

She was confused as she looked at him, the way he sounded to her, it was as though he 'knew' her. "Do I know you?" She asked.

"It's been almost nineteen years Serena, since the fall of Team Flare, since we rescued Xerneas from Lysandre and witnessed the destruction of the Ultimate Weapon… but yea we know each other." He said. "It's me… David."

…

 _[I have no other choice, this is the final path to take. I will make them see, the trainers that you and I were meant to be! And I give no concern for money, nor is it all about the fame, I will lay claim to that title and I'll live up to your name! This may be the end, of the trainer that I was, but it's what must be! Calem can you hear me, somewhere in the Halls of Origin? I will fight on for you, no matter how hard! Now I will stand up, and I'll rise to the challenge, I'm becoming who I dream to be, I know you watch me still. I'm told you live on in me, and I'm starting to be… The champion I 'want' to be! ~ From the diary of Serena]_


	30. Chapter 26

_*The Shiver running down my spine…*_

 _*It tingles when I think of that burning thought…*_

 _*The question I must ask, how long have we waited for this battle?*_

=Chapter 26, The 'Champion' vs The 'Rival'=

=19 Years Ago=

 _[Thunderstorm and rain sound – play this until the scene ends]_

(Absol's PoV)

He stared at the monument alongside the others on his trainer's team, for over an hour since everyone else left he stared at it with them. Though he had finally accepted what happened to their rivals, a part of him, just like his trainer, still refused to believe it had happened. Serena herself simply stood before the monument, silently staring while the rain poured around them.

They were almost unbeatable, they seemed unstoppable, and they were the first to achieve anything that she and they could not.

Yet now, they were gone…

" _ **How much longer are we going to stay here?"**_ Meowstic asked him quietly as Serena continued to look sadly at the graves of their rivals.

" _ **However long we must."**_ He growled back at her, not wanting to disturb his trainer while she mourned.

" _ **But everyone else is gone… why are 'we' still here?"**_ She asked again.

" _ **Because our trainer wants to stay here for a while longer!"**_ He growled, and this time he made sure to put more emphasis in his growl, silencing any further protests.

" _ **I still… can't believe it."**_ Greninja croaked sadly. _**"Karen… Lucy… Sophia… Terrance… Lancelot… all of them! How… how could they all just…"**_ He sniffed loudly and blew his nose on his shoulder. _**"How could this happen to them… they were so strong just a few days ago… but now…"**_

" _ **I can't believe it either, they were so strong…"**_ Flareon said quietly. _**"I could understand losing their trainer… but them as well? They were all so powerful… how could it happen to them?"**_

Meowstic sighed sadly as she patted Flareon's back as well, using her powers to keep him dry in the rain, but even though she looked frustrated just standing there, she too was mourning. He knew that the female Constraint Pokemon had become great rivals with the Poodle Pokemon belonging to David's team. He himself found a rival in Lucy, the female Absol from the same mountainous area that Serena had found him in. And of course, Greninja's rival was Karen the Braixen, starter to David. Flareon, though not knowing them as long, had heard great things of their rival team, and he respected them greatly for that.

Yet while they all mourned the loss of their rival Pokemon on the trainer's team, he knew it was Serena who was suffering the greatest loss of all of them. Her own rival was gone, and they never found out who would become Champion between them.

They had never had that final, decisive battle, that determined who was the better trainer between them. And he knew that she believed David was the better trainer by then, so the fact that she was now standing, staring at their rival's graves, only caused her greater pain. Time and time again she had lost to him, first it was a friendly battle, then it was a battle for the Mega Ring, then it was a battle outside of a Gym. Each and every time they battled, she lost again and again, no matter how strong they became or how much they trained, it seemed like they would always lose to them.

-Kshhhhboooooom!- The storm above sounded, yet the only reaction from Serena to him, was for her to keep staring at the grave.

Their rival's monument was a glorious statue of the six of them, made entirely out of hardened marble. The trainer standing in the middle of his five Pokemon, a Braixen, a Furfrou, an Absol, a Mega Evolved Lucario, and a Lapras. Those with arms had them raised proudly up to the sky, looks of determination on their faces, while those without held their heads high and wearing proud expressions on their faces. Below the statues of their rivals was a plaque, that read,

 _[The Heroes of Kalos, Stewards of Life]_

 _[May their sacrifice never be forgotten, by those who live because of it...]_

 _[And may those who come after them, learn from their example…]_

 _[They will live on in memory, through time and memorial, as the Heroes of Kalos!]_

In front of the monument, were six graves, varying in size depending on the body placed below it. But each of them had the names given to the Pokemon by their trainer, and their trainer himself, arrayed mirroring the position of their statues on the monument.

" _Guys…"_ Serena whispered quietly, catching all of their attention.

She turned around, and Absol saw her eyes were bloodshot from crying, yet even though she looked like she wanted to break down in tears again, her eyes simply had no more tears left to shed.

She had shed them all yesterday, and the many days before her rival's team were buried.

" _Guys… this isn't the end of our journey."_ She whispered to them, and they all nodded in understanding. _"Our friends are gone… our rival's lost… but we still have a journey to take! We still have a journey we must take."_

" _ **What do you mean?"**_ Meowstic asked, but it only came out to Serena as, _**"Meow Meowstic?"**_

" _I won't let our rival's death… be in vain…"_ She said. _"They died so that we could live… and I will honor his memory… his legacy… I will achieve that which he should have done."_ She looked at them and glared determinedly at them, with a fierce fire in her eyes that he had never seen before. _"We will get our eighth badge, we will keep battling toward the Pokemon League… and we will become Champions!"_

She looked at them and nodded, before putting her hand out for them all to see. _"We will make a solemn vow here, before the graves of our rivals! We will swear, to work for that goal, we will become Kalos' new champions, and we will not let anyone or anything stop us! We will become champions, and when we do we will keep that title for our own, and not let anyone else take it!"_

They all looked at each other and nodded in agreement, and each placed a paw or a webbed hand on Serena's, sharing her determined expression.

" _We will become the greatest champions Kalos has ever had, and we will not let anyone else claim that title from us!"_ She said proudly. _"We will defend that title with our lives, until we become too old and grizzled to defend it any longer! We will do it… for David… for his team…"_

She took a deep breath, and screamed as loud as she could, _"FOR OUR RIVALS!"_

" _ **FOR OUR RIVALS!"**_ They all shouted together, proclaiming their vows for the world to hear.

(Present Day, Serena's PoV)

She heard the words, but while they reached her ears, and she understood them, something inside her head didn't comprehend what this man just said. She simply stared into his eyes, noticing one of his eyes had a weird 'X' mark imprinted on the iris. Not just him though, the other Pokemon with him had the same mark in their eyes as well, similar to Xerneas' eyes. Yet she was only interested in what he had just said.

He said he was David, David Calem?

David… how could it be David… there's no way.

"You're 'David'… what are you talking about?" She said in confusion. "Nineteen years since 'we' saved Xerneas? How could you know about… you weren't there when it happened?"

The young man frowned slightly as he patted Xerneas, and she merely stared at her with the other Pokemon surrounding him. "Because I was there when it happened Serena, we battled Lysandre and the rest of his Team Flare to rescue her. We battled below the Ultimate Weapon, just after it had bloomed in Geosenge Town." He said sadly. "I was there when you chased after Shauna when she was frightened by one of those Team Flare administrators, and I stayed behind to deal with the remaining four."

A quick glance to Xerneas, and a whisper from him to her, and she nodded in understanding, before her horns glowed and she entered her 'Active' form. Suddenly hers and Absol's vision became obscured as they were forced to witness a memory from their past, from 'her' perspective.

"I watched as Xerneas revealed herself before me, awakening from her slumber as a dead tree." She heard this man's voice say as the vision played out, with her watching as Xerneas jumped down from the platform, screaming loudly in a mixture of pain and fear.

Then she looked in front of her and spotted a human boy, of eleven years age, and screamed in determination and panic, believing that he was the one who had been harming her the entire time.

It was David, her David 'Calem', that she was seeing as he only took one fearful step away from Xerneas. Yet as she watched, David looked determinedly at her, and soothed his expression so that as he approached, he showed his intention and meant no harm to her. Eventually he touched her muzzle and spoke soft words of comfort to her, showing that would not hurt her.

Eventually he convinced her that she was in terrible danger, and he had come to save her, but the only way he could safely transport her out of the facility was inside of a Pokeball. She was afraid at first, but she accepted that he spoke the truth, and allowed him to capture her inside of the Master Ball.

The very same Master Ball she had also received from the Pokeball Factory, as a reward for saving it alongside him.

Then the vision ended, and she was back in the underground cave, staring at the ground and panting as if she had just relived that experience.

She stared back up and looked at the only other human she had encountered since leaving town.

"It's me Serena, David… David 'Calem'." He said to her, and the way he said it, made her believe it was really him.

Yet at the same time, her mind could not comprehend it, and she simply refused to accept it.

"No… you're not…" She said, backing up from him and trying to shake the image of her rival from her mind. "Your just lying to me… this is all a prank… this has to be…" Thinking that perhaps the Pokemon of this 'den' were trying to make her go away, she became angry. "You're just some illusion trying to scare me away from this cave!"

There was silence as the Pokemon opposite her and Absol looked at her with their human, the Braixen crossing her arms and shaking her head in disappointment, the Furfrou frowning sadly as she looked at her, the Absol giving off a faint sigh of discontent, the Lucario looking calm and quiet but still observing intently, and the Lapras looking sad as he stared at her.

" **Braixen Brai…"** The Braixen said to the human.

"I know Karen…" He said with a sigh.

"I don't care who you 'think' you are, but you're NOT David 'Calem'!" She yelled furiously.

She didn't care anymore if this was the writer she had become a huge fan of for his music lyrics or not. If this was some kind of stunt to make her feel better, or even to make her think her Rival had come back, it was not working.

"How dare you claim to be my David 'Calem', my rival was a great trainer, a FAR greater trainer than you could be!" She growled venomously. "How dare you speak as if you are him, how dare you invoke his name, how dare you pretend to remember his memories as if you lived them!" She pointed a finger in warning at him, her eyes filled with silent rage. "You better tell me exactly who you are pal, because I'm warning you, if you even dare try to keep up this charade I will make you pay DEARLY for pretending to be my rival! My rival was a great trainer, and a far better person you could ever be!"

" **Absoool!"** The Absol next to him growled angrily, revealing her sharpened fangs threateningly.

" **Absol!"** Her own Absol responded, extending his claws far longer than the other Absol could manage.

"Lucy… calm down." He said, and with only a nod the female Absol backed away, but still glaring angrily at her.

"So you did your homework with the names of my rival's team…" Serena said, noticing how this 'David' called his Absol 'Lucy', the exact same name her own David had given his female Absol. "But big firkin deal, you could have found that information out in the Pokemon League Registration logs. Every Trainer and their team's names are stored in it, including any nicknames they might have given them. If you're trying to fool me, you're doing a poor job of pretending to be my rival and his team."

She was furious now, but just as she refused to believe that this guy was who he said he was, something seemed off, way off.

If he's some phony, why would Xerneas be with him?

"Serena, it's me David…" The guy said, but she interrupted him.

"SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP!" She screamed, clutching her head and shaking it furiously, trying to make her wake up from this horrible vision, whatever it was. "You're not David, my David is dead! He died nineteen years ago, he and his team are buried along Route 11. They died of heart failure, saving the world from Team Flare's mad scheme! You're just some wannabee trainer trying to confuse me and mess with my head!"

" **Furfrou!"** The Furfrou barked worriedly.

"I know Sophia, this is what we feared would happen." The guy said, causing her to look up at him and glare furiously.

"Alright buster, if you're so serious about who you SAY you are… then tell me their stories!" She snarled, pointing angrily at the Pokemon at his side. "Tell me how you met them, tell me how they got their names, where you met them, the whole shebang! If you're off by even the SLIGHTEST DETAIL…" She left that threat hanging.

There was silence as she stood there, finger pointing at the strange man, and she smiled as she caught him in the act.

She knew there was no way he could know that, only the real David knew their stories. He had only ever told one other individual their stories, and she hadn't told a soul those stories.

But as she prepared to scream in triumph, he began talking…

[Unwavering Emotions – Longer the better]

"I first met Karen in Aquacorde Town… as a Fennekin." He said, picking up the Braixen and holding her in his arms. "It was a nice spring day, when I arrived after meeting my neighbors, Shauna and Serena. They told me Professor Sycamore had a request for me, to go on a Journey to learn about Mega Evolution, and he gave me a Pokemon to help me. Trevor and Tierno were there… it was Tierno who had the case carrying the Pokemon's Pokeballs. I chose Karen… my Fennekin… as my first Pokemon." He looked down at the Braixen as she smiled up at him. "I gave her the name Karen, and she became one of my best friends on our journey."

The he looked down at the Furfrou, and put his Braixen on the ground and began petting it, scratching behind the furry ears, making her sigh in content. "Sophia was my second Pokemon I caught, I met her the same night on the same route I met Lancelot, but he was still called 'Lucario' by Korrina. I met her on Route 5, late in the day as Karen and I were preparing to eat dinner before bed. She tried to steal our food, but failed… Karen protected me and injured her, allowing me to capture her." He looked down and said Furfrou looked up at him, smiling happily as he continued to scratch her behind the ears. "I did it just to treat her wounds, I even offered to let her go, but she wanted to stay with me. So I named her Sophia… and she became a loyal companion of mine, someone I could always turn to just to talk to."

As he stood back up he turned to the female Absol now, and said Absol smiled happily, almost lovingly, back at him. "Lucy was our third team member, and we met her by sheer coincidence on Route 8." He said, rubbing her fur that hung down from the right side of her face, making her coo in delight. "We ran into her along the mountain pass, and she caught us off guard and attacked us. But Sophia and Karen managed to weaken her enough for me to catch her, later on when I had treated her wounds, I offered her the same treatment as Sophia. But she also wanted to stay with me, so from then on I named her Lucy… and she became one of my most caring team members."

He stood back up and looked at the Lucario next, who bowed respectfully, before resuming a similar stance as him, staring intently back at her as before. "I met Lancelot, on Route 5, same as Sophia, but it wasn't until Shalour City that he and I became partners." He said. "Lancelot and I seemed to connect together better than he and Korrina did. There was something about my aura that connected with him, and after we battled together on top of the Tower of Mastery, defeating Korrina's Lucario in a battle of Mega Pokemon, he joined my team as my Mega Evolution Partner. He became my most loyal friend and member on my team, so I gave him a name that represented that loyalty and friendship that I cherish. From that moment on, I called him Lancelot."

At last he turned to the Lapras, still floating in the water behind him, but looking down at him warmly. "Terrance… I met him on Route 12, he was a gift from a kind man that he himself had saved. He however, longed to travel the world, and when I asked if he wanted to come with me, he jumped for joy at the prospect. Of course, he accidentally flipped over and fell on his shell, causing me and my team to work to flip him back over. Unlike other Lapras though, he wanted to explore the land as much as the sea, so I gave him a name that was similar to his name. I called him Terrance, and he became more than just my way across the river of Route 12, he became a sort of… story teller, he became someone who loved to hear stories and tell them. He was like a parent to us on our journey, always listening but never making us do anything we never wanted to do."

With that said he turned and look back at her, and for the first time, she felt that he was telling the truth. There was something in his eyes… something that screamed he wasn't lying.

But how could she possible believe him…

"How do you know…?" She whispered in disbelief. "I never told anyone… anyone…"

"Because it is me Serena." He replied. "Believe me… believe me Serena, it's me, David!"

But she wouldn't… she couldn't… it made no sense. "But… you're dead…" She whispered, tears streaming down her eyes. "You're dead… you died… years ago… how can you be here!" She rubbed at her eyes, trying to make sense of this scene, it simply did not make any sense. "You died… your buried under a statue, a monument we made in your honor. I watched them bury you, I visit your grave every year… how can you be here?"

At this, she felt another presence in her mind, and looked up to see Xerneas stepping closer to her. **(It is thanks to me, that this is possible.)** She said in a warm and gentle voice. **(Through a pact with me, he has returned to this world. His body died, many years ago, but thanks to my intervention, his soul was spared.)**

"His soul?" She asked, refusing to believe it until Xerneas said it.

 **(Yes… his soul, his body like yours is merely a vessel that carries and shelters his soul, but while his body died, his soul clung to life.)** She said. **(Through my powers, his soul was saved, all of their souls were saved, and with my help they were all reborn. Six died that day, it is true… but on that day… six souls were spared the void, and found new life…)** She leaned her head down so she was looking at her on eye level. **(He was on the verge of death… there was no way to save his life, but I could at least save his soul. His team refused to be without him, so through my help they too shared his fate. They joined him in death, but through death they were reborn, together with him.)**

Then Xerneas knelt on the ground and looked calmly at her, and she felt the joy in her voice but also the hopeful tone in it. **(Believe me… I speak truth to you young Serena. He has come back… he stands before you, what you see is not an illusion… David lives. Do not shun what your eyes see, they do not deceive you, believe in my words. Your heart knows the truth, do not doubt what your heart feels and what your eyes see.)**

 _[Pokemon X/Y Fireworks Theme]_

Then Serena looked back at David, and finally, at long last, she saw David as he was. She took a single sniff while suppressing her tears, before she took a step forward, then another, and then another. One by one, stepping closer toward David.

Then after a few moments, she was standing in front of him, they stood roughly the same height, but she was clearly a good eleven years older. "David?" She whispered hopefully.

He smiled warmly, and nodded.

Then she hiccupped once, then twice, and finally, at long last as well… she collapsed and pulled him into a hug. "Oh David…" She moaned loudly, unable to suppress her tears any longer as he hugged her as well, patting her back softly. "I've missed you… I've missed you so much!"

"I know… I've missed you as well." He said back to her. "I'm sorry for what happened, but I didn't realize what happened until it was too late."

"You were gone… everyone just broke up without you!" She moaned, letting all of her sorrows out onto his shoulder as she continued to cry. "The Professor was so distraught, he kept blaming himself for getting you killed… your mother began drinking and her Rhyhorn was barely eating, they couldn't believe you were gone, they moved away and tried racing again but they didn't have the heart for it anymore after you died… the others tried to find their way, but they just lost all feeling in what they were doing, some of them gave up on their dreams because of what happened to you… I was so alone, I was the only one who kept going despite all of that!" She wailed, unable to stop herself.

"I tried so hard to live up to your memory, but no matter how hard I tried… I just couldn't take it. I kept thinking, how would 'you' have done it… how would 'you' have won, could you have done it better? I became Champion but even THEN… it didn't feel right to me, I became undefeated for eighteen years but still it didn't feel right. No matter what I did, no matter how strong I became… it just didn't feel right without you!"

For so many years, all of this time, she has bottled these emotions up, keeping them from escaping because she was the proud Champion of Kalos. Yet now they just poured from her heart, as if the weight of the world had come crashing down, letting her go of her sworn self-appointed duty.

She had her rival back, all she had wanted was now in front of her, everything felt right in the world again.

"I'm sorry… all I can say is… I'm sorry." He whispered to her, patting her back still.

 _[song ends by this point]_

(Absol's PoV)

His mate hiccupped again, and continued to cry into his shoulder. All the pain and sorrow, finally leaving and freeing her of the burden she had born.

It brought a smile and tear to him, at long last, all he had wanted, was to see her no longer saddened by her burden.

As he smiled he looked over at Lucy, and saw her glaring angrily at Serena. That's when he began taking in her scent, and found that it had the heavy scent of her human trainer mixed with it.

 _ ***Him as well?***_ He thought in amazement.

True, their scents mixed together, but Lucy's scent was so heavily mixed with David's that he could barely tell the difference. The only way that happened was if he had mated with her, heavily mated with her.

In fact now that he was focused, he smelled not only David's scent mixed with Lucy's, but the other females as well, Karen and Sophia, and their scents were also mixed with his just as heavily. Yet the two males, Lancelot and Terrance, their scents weren't nearly as mixed, almost no trace of other scents.

Terrance had another scent mixed with his, but it was obviously none of those present, and Lancelot had almost no scents around him besides his own.

 _ ***Has he mated with all of his female team members?***_ He thought.

The only one whose scent was untouched, was Xerneas herself, and she was walking once more to stand next to the rest of the team, who were all breathing sighs of relief and expressing joyous smiles at the rivals. All except Lucy, who continued to glare at Serena, but he noticed she only started when she had begun hugging David.

(Serena's PoV)

She sniffed one final time, and finally stood tall and smiled at David, no longer feeling so upset as before.

"You know… now that your back." She said, realizing what can happen now that her rival was back. "We can go and tell everyone that your back! Everyone will be surprised as can be, but I can't wait till we tell everyone!"

At first she expected him to agree, to say that he can't wait to tell everyone else as well, but instead he looked even sadder than she did.

"I can't go back Serena." He whispered.

At that she simply stared in confusion. "What do you mean…?" She replied. "Come on… everyone will be overjoyed that your back."

"I just can't go back Serena... you don't understand." He said, taking a few steps back to stand with his team. "I can't go back, I need to stay here."

"You can't stay here… this is a cave filled with Pokemon…" She said. "You can't possibly live down here…"

"I'm afraid this is where I have to stay Serena." He said calmly. "You see, I'm not just a human here, I'm this pack of Pokemon's Pack Leader. I became their leader when their previous leader tried and failed to kill me several months ago. Ever since then, I've lead them…" He nodded over behind her, and she turned to see several Pokemon cluttered at the entrance.

There had to be at least more than sixty total that she could see. There were Mightyenas, Houndooms, Houndours, Poochyenas and Vulpixes, Growlithes, Ninetales, Luxrays, the Sevipers and Ariados from before, a Glaceon and Leafeon, other Eeveelutions as well, the sheer number of species was unbelievable. And still there were more cluttering by the entrance, all of them trying to see what was going on.

At his notice, several of them looked worried as they looked between him and her, but two of them, a Meowstic duo, stepped forward and bowed respectfully to him.

" **Meowstic!"** The male one said.

"Yara, I told you to tell everyone to stay in their chambers until the 'all clear' was given." David said with a sigh. "Why is everyone here?"

" **Meowstic Meow…"** The female one said now, looking ashamed of herself.

(David's PoV)

"I see, so some of them were worried because of how strong the opponent was, and thought I might need help." He said with a look of relief. "I thank you all for worrying about me, but rest assured, I have this under control. She isn't here to hurt me, or any of you. Right now we're just talking… she'll be leaving soon."

"Not without you!" Serena yelled as he finished that.

At that everyone turned to look at her, and she was staring angrily at him. "Serena… I've told you I can't go back." He said again. "I can't live the same life you live anymore, I can't explain it easily but I just can't go…"

"No, you just don't 'want' to!" Serena said stubbornly. "You just don't want to tell everyone your back, do you know how happy I was when I realized you were alive? Why don't you want to tell the others that as well! Think of your mother, Professor Sycamore, Shauna, Tierno, Trevor! Not just them, but Korrina also, as well as all everyone else whom we've met in our journey! You're telling me that you want to let them all live without knowing the truth that you never died? That you're still alive!"

"It's not that simple Serena…" He said, but once again she wasn't listening.

"No it IS that simple!" Serena yelled, and now she pulled a Pokeball from her belt and held it in one hand. "David, you are coming back with me… one way or another!" As she growled she and her Absol began backing up, looks of determination on their faces as they stared at them. "I've spent the last nineteen years living on because of you, and now that your back I want to tell everyone else that you're alive!"

"You can't tell them Serena, it's more complicated than that!" He said worriedly.

He was afraid of this happening, Serena was dead set on telling everyone else the truth now. If she went back now, there was no way he'd be able to keep his secret safe 'and' stay with the pack. But he had to convince her, he had to tell her the truth.

"Serena, you don't understand, my pact with Xerneas…" He began saying but once more Serena interrupted him.

"I don't give a Raticate's tail about whatever you and Xerneas have going on!" She yelled. "I just learn that one of my best friends and rival are alive, after mourning over them for nearly twenty years, and you expect me to keep 'quiet' about it? No way David, you are coming with me, and that's final!"

He took a deep calming breath, before glaring back at his old rival, now seeing she wouldn't listen to his words. He had no choice now, he had to force her to listen to him. "I can't let you tell everyone I'm alive again Serena… and I won't leave here with you." He said warningly.

"The only way you're keeping me quiet is if you beat me!" She countered, raising her Pokeball up to her face. "I am the Kalos Region's Champion, the Undefeated Queen of Kalos. My record has stood for eighteen years, and that isn't going to change even with you back!" She took several steps back with her Absol, creating the necessary distance between him and her so that they could have a proper battle. "If you want me to keep quiet, then battle me, defeat me and I'll not tell a soul your back… but if you lose, you come with me back to Lumiose City to meet with Professor Sycamore!"

At her declaration several of the pack members began growling and bearing fangs, some of them preparing to launch attacks at Serena from behind her back. "Do not interfere!" He yelled at them, causing them to look at him.

" **But Pack Leader…"** Nera exclaimed. **"We can't let her get away with this… we can't just stand by and let her threaten you in our own den!"**

"You will because that is my order Nera!" He said. "This is between me and her, do not interfere!"

" **But… Pack Leader David…"** Yara said nervously.

"I'll be fine Yara, don't worry about me." He said warmly. "No matter what happens, you guys will survive and thrive with or without me. If I lose, than you two will become Pack Leaders, until someone else more worthy takes my position. Is that clear?"

At that they simply stared in amazement at his declaration, but nodded in acceptance of his order. **"As you command… Pack Leader."**

"Are you done, I want to begin this battle." Serena said coldly as she continued to hold her Pokeball, ready to toss it at a moment's notice.

"Serena… don't do this." He said one final time, backing up to position himself as well. "Be reasonable, let me explain… I just can't go back with you…"

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" She yelled. "I am taking you back with me, one way or another, even if I have to drag you out of here by FORCE!"

 _[Battle vs Successor Korrina Theme – 30 min long one]_

"Meowstic, Come forth!" She yelled, tossing her first Pokeball and releasing her female Meowstic.

She landed on her paws and looked up with a determined expression, recognizing a battle when she saw it, but she went wide eyed at who her opponents were. **"David… Terrance… Lucy, Sophia, Xerneas AND Karen?"** She said in shock. **"How is this…?"**

"Focus Meowstic, we'll have time to explain everything later!" Serena called out. "Right now, they are nothing but our opponents, and we will beat them! Do not forget who we are, we are the Champion team that has resided and stood at the top of the Kalos Pokemon League!"

Her Meowstic shook her head to clear her thoughts, but nodded in understanding, resuming her aggressive stance.

David had wanted to avoid a battle, but he knew he had no choice. What worried him though, was that he was 'not' a trainer, he had about as much experience as a beginner. Whereas Serena had over nineteen years in the Pokemon League challenge, not to mention her parents who taught her everything. She also had a team of battle hardened veterans, the champion team that had not once been defeated since she claimed the title for herself.

" **Put me in first chief!"** Karen said calmly, causing him to look down at his Braixen.

"Are you sure Karen, this isn't an ordinary battle…" He said, but she simply smirked back at him.

" **Please… this is nothing more than a battle to me."** She replied with a wave of her paw. **"We got no choice either way, Lancelot and I are the only ones with real competitive experience in this arena. Terrance is too much of nice guy, Sophia is about as dangerous as a puppy, and Lucy has never fought a real team. That only leaves me and Lancelot, not counting Xereneas, but save her for last if the worst should happen."** She looked back at him with a confident smile. **"Put me in first, then bring out Lancelot, trust me! I've never let you down before, so let me go first and feel out her strategy, leave the strategy and fighting to me for now. Just be ready to pull me back with my Pokeball so you guys don't get affected as badly during the fight."**

He nodded, trusting his starter's experience in battle. "Alright, Karen you're up!" He shouted.

Karen nodded and ran forward, opposite of their opposing Meowstic, and both Pokemon prepared themselves for their trainer's commands. Or at least Serena's Meowstic did, Karen merely put a paw on her hip and smiled.

(Serena's PoV)

Serena smirked as she saw their first opponent was Karen the Braixen. She remembered how strong that Braixen was back in the day, but even then she still wasn't a match for her Greninja, even now she wasn't a match for her Meowstic, let alone the rest of her team.

"Alright let's get this started, Meowstic Fake out!" She yelled.

" **Meow!"** Her Meowstic cried as she ran forward, claws extended, but their opponent merely stood her ground and waited.

One swipe later and her Meowstic returned to her previous position, aggressive stance at the ready as she prepared for the counter attack which didn't come. _*That's weird, even though she flinched she didn't even try to counter attack, and David gave her no instructions.*_ She thought. _*It's as though he has… of course he HAS no experience… he doesn't know what to do! This'll be easier than I thought.*_

She smirked before giving her Meowstic her next instructions. "Meowstic Psyshock!"

Her Meowstic nodded and lifted her ears to prepare the attack, but just as she raised her ears up, the Braixen grabbed her stick, lit it on fire, and pointed it at her in the span of a second. Instantly her own Psyshock was cast and stones materialized around her, paused for only a split second, before smashing into her from all sides.

" **Meooooow…"** She moaned as she collapsed to the ground, her eyes struggling to stay open after the impact of the attack.

The Braixen put her stick back in her tail, smirked proudly, and waited where she stood.

"One… hit?" She asked in astonishment while recalling her Meowstic, amid cheers and cries from the Pokemon behind her. "How is she so powerful… she's not holding any items… she's just a Braixen…" Then she shook herself back to seriousness, and knew that this battle would not be as easy as she thought it would be. "So that's how you want to play huh, well let's see how you fare against this one!"

She replaced her Meowstic's Pokeball and pulled her Flareon's next, wanting to save her Greninja for when she learned all she could about this Braixen. "Flareon, you're up!"

Her Flareon came out with a determined cry, and after a brief look of confusion he took a defensive stance against the Braixen.

"Flareon, Flare Blitz!" She ordered, knowing it wouldn't be effective but wanting to see what her opponent would use to counter him.

" **Flare!"** He called before charging forward, enveloping himself in flames.

In response Karen the Braixen took her stick out and spun it in a circle, and a mystical barrier appeared around her body, and not just hers but the rest of her trainer's team. Then she put her stick back in her tail and braced herself to take the hit. At the last second she recognized the attack as Reflect, which absorbed physical damage, yet it was too late to call off the attack.

Her Flareon ran headlong into Karen, but his attack seemed to have no effect on her, as the barrier absorbed the majority of the damage, the only effect he seemed to have was the flames. But even then, Karen's fire type nullified the attack's effect. Her Flareon ran back and resumed his defensive stance, but just as he returned Karen took her stick again, lit it on fire, and cast Psyshock before Serena could give any more orders.

Instantly the rocks slammed into him, and he went down just as quickly and heavily as Meowstic.

"Flareon as well…" She said, recalling her Flareon into his ball as well. "How is this Braixen so powerful?"

"Way to go Karen!" David called out, and his Braixen smiled proudly back at him, giving him a salute with her paw.

Seeing them victorious only made her more determined to win, this was not the end and she would not let it end this way. If physical attacks weren't going to work, and she had the speed to outpace some of her strongest battlers, then she would bring in a type that would take everything she could dish out.

"Altaria, come forth!" She declared, and released her Altaria.

" **Altaaaria!"** She chirped proudly, flapping gently to stay in the air.

At the appearance of her Altaria Karen's smile vanished, replaced by determination. "Don't think for a second you're going to beat me so easily!" She yelled. "I did not become Champion of Kalos by losing to one single Pokemon, I've faced so many opponents that nothing you do can catch me off guard! Altaria, Cotton Guard!"

" **Altar!"** Altaria chirped as she began flapping her wings, which puffed out as they became fluffier, increasing her defenses drastically higher than they were before.

(Karen's PoV)

Karen pulled out her stick, lit it on fire again, and cast yet another Psyshock against her opponent, yet it was too late. The Cotton Guard was up, and the rocks that materialized and smacked into her opponent were far from effective enough to break through the fluffy feathers.

 _ ***Crap, Psyshock is my most effective move against Altaria… but she saw through my attack and switched into a highly defensive Pokemon.***_ She thought, frustrated as she stood her ground and tried to come up with a new plan.

But just as she was coming up with a new plan, she heard David give out his first ever command. "Karen, Flamethrower!" He said.

She turned back to him and raised an eyebrow, but nodded in understanding, knowing that it was really their only plan. _***I guess I don't have any choice but to use Flamethrower, it may not be effective against that dragon, but at least it will break through her defenses.***_ She thought, but smiled as she remembered one other fact. _***It's good to have my 'Trainer' back…***_

Yet as she prepared to use her Flamethrower, Serena ordered her Altaria to perform Dragon Pulse. She opened her mouth and released a powerful purple beam, but Karen had trained for this, she held her stance, took the hit, letting her fur absorb the heat and energy of the attack before the damage could take effect. It still stung like crazy, but she had endured far worse hits.

With the attack over she whipped out her stick, and sent a powerful jet of flames against the Altaria. Yet her attack had little effect against the dragon type, and she easily absorbed the flames she sent against her.

" **This is not going to be easy…"** She whispered to herself as the Altaria went into another Dragon Pulse.

(Nera's PoV)

Nera watched from the entrance with the other pack members, all of whom defied the order to remain in their chambers, and instead came to join Yara and Nera in their attempt to protect their Pack Leader. Despite his assertions that he and his guards would be fine, they still feared for their pack leader's safety.

The Mightyena had reported the intruder was powerful, far more powerful than any other Pokemon they had ever faced. So together she and her brother had gathered as many volunteers to protect and help their leader.

Yet now they all waited on the side, at the order of their leader, letting him and his guards handle the intruder themselves.

" **We should be helping them!"** Ardent growled fiercely behind them. **"He's our pack leader, we should help him, even if he doesn't want our help!"**

" **Our Pack Leader has spoken, we will obey his orders!"** Yara snapped. **"All we can do is wait for the outcome of this trial."**

" **How is this a trial between those two humans, their 'tamed' Pokemon are the ones doing the fighting?"** Floral asked.

Yara was in agreement, Pack Leader David had said he would handle this 'Serena' himself, but how exactly is he 'handling' it? So far only his bodyguard Karen has done the fighting, true she was performing well so far, as expected from his personal guard, but it was still her doing the actual fighting. All the two humans had done so far was stand there and call out or recall their wounded fighters.

" **This is a trial for them…"** An elderly but wise voice declared behind them all.

Nera turned around and watched as Elder Isis, the aging Espeon elder walked through the crowd, blindly looking at the battle which raged before them all.

" **Elder Isis?"** Nera asked. **"What are you doing here, you should be resting, and this is a state of alert you should not be here!"**

Yet the elder smiled and shook her head knowingly. **"We are not in danger, only our Pack Leader…"** She replied as the Altaria commenced further attacks, with Karen dodging them before counter attacking. **"This is a trial by test of wills and belief, the human is known as a Trainer, and she commands her Pokemon because of her strength as a trainer. She is not here to harm any of us, but if she wins she will take our leader away from us…"**

" **Then we should help him!"** Natalia shouted worriedly, the Ninetales having developed a fondness for their pack leader along with many other pack members. **"I don't want a new pack leader, our current pack leader is the best thing that has ever happened to us!"**

Many agreed with her but once again Elder Isis shook her head warmly. **"We cannot interfere, this is not for debate… we must let them decide their own fate."** She replied.

As she finished speaking, a loud explosion resounded, and they watched as a huge ball of fire erupted point blank against the Altaria, Karen having just jumped forward and released her most devastating attack, a move she called Blast Burn. The ball of fire expanded and collapsed, leaving Karen extremely tired and gasping for breath, but her Altaria opponent on the ground and exhausted as well.

The human called Serena recalled the Altaria into its sphere, before grabbing a fourth one and releasing a Greninja.

Nera saw bodyguard Karen gasping for breath, her reflect barrier was beginning to break down, but still she stood her ground. **"We can't just let this go on Elder… if bodyguard Karen and Lancelot fall, the Prime Mates won't stand a chance against this intruder."** Nera said as the Greninja released a powerful Hydro Pump, blasting Karen who was still unable to stand up.

" **We cannot interfere, by order of our Pack Leader."** Isis declared. **"My vision tells me that this battle will determine the fate of our pack, in the months to come. We must let destiny decide its path…"**

Nera nodded, but she wished she were out there to protect her pack leader as well. He had given her and her brother a new future, one that didn't involve endless nights of rape and forced pleasure. But she also wouldn't care about the result of this battle, if he lost, she would fight with all her power to keep her Pack Leader, 'their' pack leader.

(David's Pov)

He watched as Karen wearily stood back up, shaking on her feet as she endured a powerful Hydro Pump. After she caught her second wind she took a defensive stance against their opponent. **"It's been a while since I've faced him chief… but that Hydro Pump is just as powerful as I remember it."** She said to him, extremely tired.

They had had no choice but to use her Blast Burn to bring down the Altaria, Serena's dragon had simply been too strong to outlast, so he had gambled and took the risk to use her most powerful attack. It had worked, but Karen was left utterly defenseless against her Greninja.

"Karen, perhaps you should return for now!" David suggested, taking her Pokeball from his neck and preparing to call her back into it.

" **No… leave me in!"** She snapped back tiredly. **"I need to keep going, I can still fight!"**

"But your exhausted, don't pretend you aren't, because we can all feel it!" He said, feeling her exhaustion through their pact.

" **Chief… just believe in me."** She said to him, smirking proudly. **"I've still got a few tricks to show you… and I've still got at least one fifth of my stamina left! Sometimes you just have to let one of your team members fall in order to clench the victory… just let me handle it for now."**

He nodded and agreed to let her stay out. "Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Serena ordered.

"Karen, Reflect Barrier!" He counter ordered.

Both Pokemon obeyed their instructions, and Karen nimbly dodged the attack Greninja sent against her, while still creating her reflect barrier, covering all of them with its protective light.

"Karen, Flamethrower!" He ordered now, and as he called out the order, he felt a strange tingling sensation.

He had never felt this way before, but for some reason… he felt… exhilarated.

(Serena's PoV)

"Greninja, counter with Hydro Pump." She called out.

Her Greninja let loose with a blast of powerful water, yet Karen dodged his attack again, countering with a blast of Flamethrower. The attack had little effect on her water type, but that wasn't what she was concerned with.

She was smiling, without realizing it, she was having fun with her battle.

She felt alive, so alive in this single battle that she couldn't understand what had caused it. At least until their Pokemon traded blows again.

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" She ordered.

"Karen, Flamethrower again!" David counter ordered.

" **Braixeeeeeeeeen!"** Karen screamed, letting loose with a powerful and steady stream of flames against her Greninja.

" **Greninjaaaaa!"** Her Greninja screamed as well, releasing five powerful water shaped shurikens.

The two attacks connected, and a huge eruption of steam occurred as the water shurikens evaporated in the flames one after the other, but at the same time the flames couldn't reach her Greninja because of the attack. As she watched the two combatants returned to their positions as neither attack could reach each other.

 _*What is this feeling…*_ She thought as she stared at their opponent. _*I've never felt so alive, how is this possible? It's just a Braixen… but this one Pokemon is pushing me so hard… I've never been pushed so hard before. Karen and her Trainer…*_

That's when it clicked in her head, she had never been pushed this far, and only one person had ever done that before. Her rival...

She had never once had a battle like this, it wasn't as intense as many other battles she's had, yet at the same time this battle was stirring something inside of her that she had not felt for a very long time.

 _*Of course… I've nearly forgotten… this exhilaration… even though I'm losing… I'm excited!*_ She remembered the feeling, it was a feeling she has not had for years. _*I remember now… this is how I felt years ago, when I was on my journey with David and the others! This is how I felt that last time we had a battle, a proper battle!*_

She smiled as she felt that wonderful feeling, she had never felt like this for ages. All this time, she's forgotten what it felt like to be excited for a battle. No matter how many opponents she trounced, no matter who she faced, none of them brought her any joy. Yet this battle, this single battle that had so far lasted only a few minutes, and she was starting to fall behind in, was giving her ten times more excitement than any other battle has done.

She couldn't wait to see how it ended…

"You're really pushing me to my limits David… I've never had to push my team to their limits as much as you and your Braixen are doing." She said, feeling exhausted. "Even though you're not nearly as experienced as you were back then… you still push me to my limits, pushing me to be my best!"

David was breathing just as heavily as his Braixen Karen, and beside him the rest of his team were breathing heavily as well, something which confused her, but she ignored it for now. "I told you… I can't go back… and if the only way to keep you from taking me back or spreading word about me is to win… I have to win!" He said, and Karen took an aggressive stance again.

"We'll see about that." She snapped with a smile. "Come at me then, Greninja Hydro Pump again!"

"Karen Flamethrower!" David countered.

Both Pokemon took aim and sent a powerful blast of water and flames at each other, and the attacks connected in midair. Steam erupted once more, and both elements were pushing against each other, trying to reach their targets, yet neither seemed strong enough to break past.

Yet as the attacks subsided, neither Pokemon scoring a direct hit, all Serena could think was one single thought. A single exhilarating thought that even as her opponent released yet another Flamethrower, this one more powerful than the last, sent shivers of excitement down her spine…

 _*I forgot what it was like… to have a rival…*_

(Karen's PoV)

Karen panted heavily as she saw her Flamethrower had finally broken through Greninja's water assaults. But she was exhausted, she simply couldn't take much more damage. Yet as she watched her Flamethrower envelop and defeat Greninja, her water starter counterpart, she smirked proudly.

 _ ***That's what five perfect IV'S with an emphasis on special attack will do for you…***_ She thought.

Serena recalled her Greninja, a look of shock but excitement written on her face as she did so. "One Braixen… beat four of my champion team members…" She whispered. "Just what I'd expect from my rival's team…"

"Does that mean you're going to listen to me at last?" David called out.

Serena shook her head with a smirk. "I'm not finished yet… I still have one final team member left…" She turned to her Absol and nodded, and he nodded back. "Absol, Come Forth!"

" **Right!"** Her Absol called out, leaping forth with his Mega Stone shining proudly.

 _ ***Crap… I can't take anymore…***_ She thought nervously. _***Her Absol… the most powerful Absol in all of Kalos. His signature move of Me First, with Sucker Punch… Night Slash… and Detect. Few opponents have ever gone against this Pokemon, and lasted long enough to use their second move. If I make the wrong call… I'm finished, my next move will be my last.***_

She glanced down and saw her Reflect Barrier vanish. "Karen, do I call you back now?" David asked.

She shook her head. **"Leave me in… I'm finished next move any way… just recall me as soon as I go down."** She replied. **"I can't make the right call… I don't know what she'll do… I gata trust you to make that call chief."**

"But what if I make the wrong call?" He asked her.

She simply smiled, loving how caring her master was to her, and wishing he would have just a little more faith in her and his own abilities. **"I trust you… no matter what."**

With that, she looked back at her opponent and braced herself for her next orders.

"Absol… we've come this far… your my last hope for victory." She said as she pulled her Bracelet out and held it up for them to see. "Now Absol… let's show our rivals how far we've come… bring me victory today… with all of your might and all your power, show them all how strong we've become!" She took a deep breath and touched one finger to the stone, before declaring in a loud voice as several multicolored lights appeared. "ABSOL, MEGA EVOLVE!"

Their Absol opponent was wrapped in several colorful lights, and his body began glowing as the stone reacted to Serena's ring. Soon his body grew two wings, and his horn changed shape, and he revealed his final form as a Mega Absol.

" **Ab… SOOOOOOOOL!"** He screamed loudly, his voice echoing the strength of his Mega Evolved form's power throughout the chamber.

Hearing his powerful cry nearly every one of the pack's Pokemon backed up or flinched at its sound. She couldn't blame them, even she was having difficulty running from her opponent's powerful cry. He was just so powerful.

 _ ***No matter what I do… this is going to hurt…***_ She thought nervously, hoping they made the right call.

"Alright… Karen… Reflect!" David said.

"Absol, Night Slash!" Serena screamed out just as David spoke.

It was as she tried to pull her stick out and cast her Reflect Barrier that Karen knew they were finished. She wasn't fast enough, Serena's Absol was one of the fastest Pokemon in Kalos while Mega Evolved. Just as she finished taking her stick out, her Absol charged forward, claws extended and a dark scythe like energy extending outward from the tips of each claw. Before she could perform her move, he swiped at her and sent her flying backward to David.

It hurt like nothing she had ever felt before, and she knew her battle was over.

" **Lancelot… it's up… to you… now…"** She whispered painfully, before David panicked and recalled her into her ball.

(David's PoV)

He felt the sting and recalled Karen into her ball as quickly as he could. When she vanished into a red beam of light back into her ball though, the backlash pain they all were feeling vanished, and they felt normal again. But that still didn't end the worry of what they were going to do.

They were facing Serena's signature Pokemon, her Mega Absol, the most powerful and tricky Pokemon to deal with in all of Kalos' league. Nobody who has challenged her Absol has ever lasted long enough to get more than a second move off before being crushed.

He had only one team member capable of facing her Absol, but could he win?

 **(Master…)** Lancelot whispered to him, causing him to look at his Lucario. **(Put me in, I'm our best chance to defeat her Absol.)**

"You've done it before… but we've never faced her Absol in his Mega Evolved form." He said worriedly. "Can we beat them?"

Lancelot nodded and stepped forward. **(If you want me to, I will deliver us victory.)** He said proudly and confidently. **(I am your bodyguard Master, your sword and shield, your my friend and ally… this is what I've trained for my entire life. I believe in you entirely, so believe in me Master.)**

He nodded in understanding before looking at Serena. "I choose Lancelot!" He said.

(Lancelot's PoV)

He stepped forward and readied himself for an aggressive attack, not knowing how strong he was compared to a Mega Evolved Absol. Yet he knew he had to win this battle, he could not allow his master to be taken away from the pack.

" **So… we meet again Lancelot."** Absol said to him with a glare. **"Last time we met, you had the advantage of Mega Evolution… and I did not. I fought with all I had back then, but it wasn't even close to being enough. Now however…"**

" **Yes… your Mega Evolved now."** He replied back before preparing to attack.

"Lancelot, Power Up Punch!" David called out.

He nodded and charged forward with his clenched paw, ready to deliver a powerful blow, but just before he could follow through with it…

"Absol, Me First!" Serena called out just as he began.

Her Absol ran forward, and it was like a light zipped from his head to his own, and then back to her Absol's. **"Take this!"** He screamed, and jumped high, pulled his paw back, and thrust it forward just like how he would have used a Power Up Punch.

Caught off guard he felt his own attack hit him, with even more force than he had done. Yet through the pain he countered with his own Power Up Punch and punched back. Both Pokemon grimaced in pain before being shoved back by the force of the other's attack.

They both panted as he tried standing up, and he knew he could not outpace Serena's Absol. He was simply too fast in his Mega Evolved form. **(Master… we must Mega Evolve!)** He whispered privately to him.

"But… I've never…" He whispered back just as Lancelot felt.

He shook his head while still staring at Serena and her Absol. **(You've done it before… you can do it again!)** He said. **(You can do it… please… I can't win without your help… Mega Evolve!)**

(David's PoV)

David looked down at his bracelet, and stared at the Keystone embedded into it, glistening beautifully as he did.

"How do I Mega Evolve…" He whispered frantically to himself.

He knew it was their only hope, if Lancelot couldn't Mega Evolve he couldn't beat Serena's Mega Absol. But he had never once done it before, how could he just Mega Evolve without ever knowing how to do it?

 **(You've done it before…)** Lancelot whispered again to him. **(Focus… just remember that feeling… remember our bond. We can do it again!)**

He nodded and closed his eyes, remembering that time in his previous life, when he first mega evolved Lancelot.

As he recalled it, he recalled the emotional feeling he felt when he faced Korrina…

Then he raised his arm with the Mega Bracelet, and held his other arm next to it…

"Lancelot…" He called out, feeling that feeling again. "MEGA EVOLVE!"

He tapped the stone, and it instantly reacted. Lancelot's own bracelet reacted, and he became enveloped in multicolored lights. But when it ended he had changed, just as Serena's Absol had. He was taller, he had an extra pair of dreadlocks, and he had a sort of cape hanging from his neck made up of his fur.

As it finished, he took a deep breath and screamed just as loudly as Serena's Absol did, and once more the cave resounded with the power of a Mega Evolved Pokemon.

(Yara's PoV)

He took several steps back with everyone else as Lancelot proclaimed his power, pushing them all back with just the sound of his voice.

He couldn't believe how powerful his Pack Leader's bodyguard was, all this time he had been the most powerful in the pack. Yet he still had MORE power locked inside of him? How can anybody, Pokemon or otherwise, challenge such power? Months ago he thought Scar was the strongest around, then he thought David was after he defeated him, now he saw Lancelot as the strongest.

" **How… how does our Pack Leader command such power?"** Yara proclaimed as Lancelot relaxed himself and stared against their opponent. **"Why does Lancelot not take control of the pack himself, nobody would dare oppose him with such power!"**

" **Because my fellow pack members… he draws that power from his master, without our Pack Leader Lancelot cannot draw such strength."** Isis proclaimed wisely. **"This… is what my vision told me… I knew our pack leader had something inside of him that no previous leader had before him, and this is what he has."** As the two Megas stared off against each other, they both assumed aggressive stances. **"He, like other humans, possesses that inner strength to inspire us to greater heights. Though he himself does not have the power to control the elements, nor to control the power of the mind, nor does he have physical traits like fangs and claws, he is still powerful. That inner strength he has, gives his bodyguards strength… strength that surpasses all of ours."**

And finally Yara understood, he now knew why Lancelot always followed their Pack Leader so faithfully, so readily, without question. _***As long as we have Pack Leader David… we are strong…***_ He thought proudly, proud that he and his sister stood up to Scar those many months ago. _***Our Leader will make us strong… our pack will become stronger… as long as we have him.***_

(Lancelot's PoV)

He smiled as he readied himself, and Absol smiled back.

" **Now it begins…"** He said to him.

" **No… it ends."** Lancelot said back.

" **I've waited years for this moment… Lancelot…"** Absol declared. **"I have longed for this… now I will PROVE that I am the strongest one between us!"**

Lancelot knew how this would end though, this battle was a battle between two powerful Mega Pokemon, both of them having just boosted their power. No matter what happened, one of them was about to win. The contest would be decided in one strike.

"Absol, Sucker Punch!" Serena yelled.

"Lancelot, Close Combat!" David called out.

Both Pokemon charged, both of them struck, and in the time span of one second it was over.

Lancelot stood behind Absol looking at Serena, while Absol looked at David.

There was absolute silence in the chamber as both megas stood tall.

[Stop the song now if you're still listening]

Then Lancelot collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath as he felt the wind knocked out of him.

" **Even after nineteen years…"** Absol whispered calmly behind him, causing Lancelot to look around at him. **"This is the limit?"** Then he glowed before returning to his normal form. **"Even after all this time, after finally mega evolving, after all of that training… I still… can't… beat… you? Ugh…"**

Then he collapsed to the floor, while Lancelot returned to his normal form as well.

(David's PoV)

 _[Unwavering Emotions]_

"No way… Absol…" Serena said, collapsing to the floor onto her knees. "Absol… my Mega Absol… defeated… we lost…" She put her hands on the floor, disbelief etched on her face. "We lost… my record… my title… everything I've worked nineteen years for… all of it… gone… in one day."

While Lancelot walked back over and Serena wearily recalled Absol, still unable to believe what had happened, David chose to walk over to her. "Serena?" He asked nervously, knowing this had hit her very hard. "Are you…"

Before he could ask, she stood up and pulled him into a tight hug, crying the entire time. "THANK YOU!" She screamed happily.

"But… you…" He said, now even more confused.

"You have… no idea… how happy you've made me!" She cried. "I don't care about my title, or my record! All I've wanted was to have my rival back! Now I know I'm not the strongest ever, I can become even stronger as a trainer!"

She pulled away and smiled happily at him. "Alright… I'll keep my word, I won't tell anyone, and I won't force you to come back with me…" She said sadly. "But tell me why… why can't you come back with me?"

So he explained, while her team recovered and the pack learned of the all clear, and eventually all of them made their way to the lake chamber, he told her everything.

He told her of his pact with Xerneas, with the rest of his team, how they would never age or die so long as they all lived. How if one of them died they all died, including Xerneas, how they shared each other's pain, how they saw through each other's eyes, he explained everything.

Xerneas herself confirmed everything, even as she healed her team one at a time.

"Wow… so you're not hiding here because you want to avoid everyone." She said as she had her team besides Absol recalled. "You really can't leave here… I'm sorry for being such a jerk earlier."

"It's alright." He replied as Lucy nuzzled him lovingly.

"So… I take it your no longer single?" She said with a chuckle.

"Wha…"

Serena chuckled as she pointed at Lucy, who blushed slightly when she did. "A girl notices these things, I'm not stupid. Lucy was glaring at me the entire time I was holding you earlier, and she's always by your side and staring at you with that look." She smiled as she leaned over and kissed her own Absol on his lips, and who kissed her back.

"You as well?" He asked her when they separated, and her Absol glared at him, almost daring him to even make a move on Serena.

(Serena's PoV)

"Yea, I guess great trainers 'do' think alike." She replied with a smile. "Well… as promised, I'll keep my word and won't tell anyone about you, or this place. I'll head out now… but before I do…" She stood up and held out her hand. "I am renewing my rivalry with you, one day I will defeat you David! So please, become my rival again, and someday let me battle you again, and next time… I'll beat you!"

He nodded and shook her hand, agreeing to become her rival once more. With that she gave him one final wave, turned around, and began walking out of the pack's den. "Oh… before I forget also…" She turned around and tossed him a spare Holocast that she had with her. "Keep in touch with me sometime, and be on alert, I'll leave you a care package once in a while, cause Arceus knows you need one down here! If you need my help, for anything, don't hesitate to call, I'll drop whatever it is I'm doing to come help you buddy!"

"You got it Serena… take care!" He said as all of the pack Pokemon waved her goodbye as she left.

As they left the den entrance behind, she looked down at her Absol. "Absol… our vacation is over, starting tonight!" She declared.

" **Absol?"** He asked her curiously.

"Yep, we can't let our rivals get ahead of us, we start training again tomorrow." She declared proudly. "I am going to run you guys through the ringer. That performance was just abysmal, we're still champions because he isn't an official trainer, but if he can beat us like that, our rivals are way ahead of us! So we need to catch up." She smirked proudly. "We'll beat our rivals, one day… so that's our next goal!"

Her Absol was quiet for a few minutes, before nodding in acceptance. **"Absol!"** He declared proudly, before running off with her in the lead.

=Two Months Later=

Serena sipped a cup of coffee in the café she had stopped by that day, reading the latest paper headlines.

She smirked as she left a two hundred percent tip for her coffee, enjoying the latest headlines that told a stark contrast to what they were months ago.

 _ ***Champion Serena, a clean tournament sweep!***_ One headline read.

 _ ***Our Champion, stronger than ever?***_ A second one declared.

 _ ***Unstoppable Interview with Unstoppable Serena, pg 15!***_ A third said.

Ever since she came back into the circuit, she had been unstoppable, her team performing above and beyond what they once did before. People asked, interviewed, questioned and debated, but none of them could figure out where this sudden show of power from her came from. She was dominating all of her opponents, and she wasn't telling them anything more than she demonstrated.

Yet when Shauna and the others asked her, her only answer was one thing, and she made sure they kept quiet about it.

" _I have a rival again…"_ She had told them.

She had her rival, once again.

 _[Though I know now, I'll always see you again… you never knew till now, what our rivalry meant to me… But now I will stand up, and I'll rise to the challenge! I've become who I'm meant to be, I know you'll always be there! I'm told you live on in me… but I finally see, The Champion I'm 'meant' to be! ~ From the Diary of Serena]_


	31. Chapter 27

_*The gift of life is a precious one…*_

 _*It is easily mistaken, forsaken, and forgotten…*_

 _*I hope this gift is not misplaced.*_

=Chapter 27, Xerneas' Blessing=

(Lucy's PoV)

" **No way, he finally succeeded?"** Lucy asked Sophia as they walked down to the lake chamber for lunch.

" **Yes, and he's sur la lune about it."** The Furfrou Prime Mate said back to her. **"Ever since he found out, he's been telling any pack member who would listen."**

" **Well I'm glad he finally got her pregnant, if any male deserves a pup it's Gentaal."** She said happily to her.

It's been over four weeks since their pack was 'invaded' by Serena and her team, and consequentially revealed their secret to their longtime friend, now newly reacquainted rivals. Since then Serena has left David, thanks to her Altaria secretly dropping the packages off for them, several 'care packages' to help him live in the wild.

Most of them were just soap bars, shampoos, and other variously needed items for a human to live comfortably away from civilization.

At his orders, Icicle would retrieve the boxes and bring them to him whenever their sentries reported seeing the Altaria.

Since she left them, two boxes have arrived in the last four weeks, and each time carrying just small amounts of items for him, though occasionally she slipped in a few treats for him and his team.

The other item she left them, the Holocaster, was kept solely inside of his chambers to prevent any of the pack members from messing with it, and so far hasn't been used once.

After that though, life in the pack had been pretty much the same since winter set in, and even though it was now over halfway through the season, life had yet to change for any of them. At least not until the day before, when it was discovered that Azure, the female Luxray that Gentaal has been unable to produce any pups with for four seasons, was pregnant.

After reducing the number of possible 'fathers', to just one, Gentaal became overjoyed to learn that he was going to be the father of two pups.

Since then, everyone congratulated and gave him and Azure praises for finally becoming parents.

What many don't know, and this is something she and the others in their circle, was that David had asked Xerneas to give the Luxray a bit of 'help'.

Xerneas used her powers to give Gentaal the pups he's been wanting for so many seasons. How she managed this, none of them know, but for the sake of secrecy, and so as not to spoil the happy Luxray's mood, none of them told him or Azure.

But despite how happy Gentaal was, and how happy everyone was at seeing the normally, solitary Luxray, who was almost always watching pups in the nursery. All this did was make her feel depressed, and even slightly angry at the legendary Life Pokemon.

As Prime Mate, one of her most important jobs, especially for her considering who the pack leader was, was to give birth to her pack leader's pups. Yet, not only did she have the species barrier to make it difficult for her, she also had Xerneas' pact preventing her from getting pregnant.

But she wanted to become a mother, more than anything in this world, she wanted to bear David's pups. Not just because it was her duty, but because she wanted to give him a symbol of her love for him, she went years looking for him, waiting to give him the gift she could give but once in her life.

When she finally gave it, she had been so happy, all she wanted from then on, was to have a family with her human lover. Now she had the chance, but her dream was still out of reach.

" **Well Lucy, si vous êtes tellement frustré, why not ask Xerneas for autorisation?"** Sophia said after a while as they continued to head to the lake chamber.

She sighed and looked at the second Prime Mate. **"You know how Xerneas is, the only one allowed to talk to her in her own chamber is David."** She complained, having gotten used to her broken 'Lumiose' to know what she says most of the time. **"She won't even let us, the prime mates, into her chamber. The elders too are not allowed to enter her chamber without gaining permission from our Pack Leader. If anyone tries to enter her chamber without permission, she kicks them out with her powers."**

" **She does always stay in there… does she even eat?"** Sophia asked quietly. **"I don't think I've seen her once leave to eat with the rest of the pack."**

" **The only time she's left was to fight Lancelot that one time, since then she never leaves."** She complained again, taking the lead as they turned the corner to the lake chamber. **"I know we're supposed to remain in the den until winter passes, but she never leaves her chamber. She's either a loner by nature, or she's lazier than a Snorlax."**

" **Speaking of paresse, you could do with a bit more 'activité' darling."** Sophia chuckled. **"You haven't been exercising a lot since Serena showed up."**

She scoffed at that. **"Oh yes, I should take advice from a 'tamed' Pokemon about staying fit. I'll keep that in mind the next time I want advice from a house pet poodle."**

" **How dare you call me 'tamed' you 'catastrophe sauvage', you were 'tamed' as well in our 'past life' you know!"** She snarled back, sounding thoroughly annoyed. **"The nerve of you, calling me 'apprivoisée' when you yourself are the same as the rest of us!'**

" **At least I got along without needing our love to take care of my every need…"** She muttered under her breath.

" **That is so not true!"** She snarled as they entered the lake chamber. **"I can get my chew toys just fine on my own!"**

(David's PoV)

"So Elders, in short that is what we're planning once winter is over." He said to the council of elders. "When we are able to harvest regularly, I'm planning to pay a visit to Pack Logan, and discuss retaking the territories we had to surrender prior to winter setting in. If Logan refuses, I'll make it clear that if he refuses to return our territory to us, he will have to contend with our pack's forces for control of those trees. His pack's control over that area will end once spring arrives, and it must rightfully return to our pack's control."

" **A bold decision Pack Leader… but what assurance do we have that Pack Logan will return our territory to us?"** Kuma asked. **"Mightyena are not easily intimidated, nor do they easily acquiesce to one's demands."**

He nodded in understanding and looked at the Mightyena elder. "You see Elder Kuma, when spring sets in, we'll be able to talk to Pack Delica. It is my hope to forge an alliance with her pack. They have recently lost a section of their territory that they relied heavily on for food with a migration of Pidgeotto and Pidgeys moving into the area. In exchange for forging an alliance with them, we'll grant them harvesting access to the grove that Xerneas created above ground, and that we recently used to feed our pack. I know he might be very stubborn and might contest our territorial claim, but against both our pack, and Pack Delica's, I believe he will be more open to negotiation."

" **If Pack Delica truly forges an alliance with us, it would give our pack greater strength of power in dealing with other packs as well."** A new elder's voice declared from the circle, this time coming from the Ariados Elder, Spinner.

The Ariados Elder was the newest elder to join the council of elders, having just been given approval by the other elders and David. After becoming the sixth elder of the council, he had to gain the respect of every member of the pack, and thanks to his knowledge from the borders of their territory, he knew of the balance of power of the various packs.

"That is what I was thinking about Elder Spinner." He said to the aging Ariados. "I know the leader of Pack Logan doesn't think highly of me, considering I surrendered a section of our territory to him with little resistance. But when he learns of my alliance with Pack Delica, he may have to reconsider his position compared to mine."

" **If it plays out as you say it might, I think we have nothing to fear of Pack Logan's aggressiveness against us."** Nayru declared wisely. **"Now then, we must move on to our next issue. Your decree permitting those of similar 'genders' to mate and show their relationships in front of the pack, without fear of reprisal has made a very select few of our pack extremely happy. I can safely say that you have made them feel safe about their own lives outside of their chambers."** She said with a smile at him. **"Earlier today, I witnessed two male Mightyena walking together as they went to perform sentry duty, and I could tell that they were not afraid of showing their affection for one another."**

" **Yes… but at the same time Leader, there are others who do not enjoy watching such shows of 'affection', wonderful as it is."** Jen, the elder Furfrou said. **"Which is why we must ask if there are any decrees or laws you may want to make, which may curb such shows of affection publicly."**

"I'm afraid I don't have any wish to create any such law Elder Jen." He said respectfully to the Furfrou elder. "If I show any discrimination against anyone, it will undermine how I think of every member of this pack, as individuals of equal value."

" **As you should Leader David."** Isis spoke up wisely, drawing attention to the aged and blind Espeon. **"Such shows of affection are commonly seen among our 'normal' pack members, and these shows of affection are rare, and not seen often. Why show such discrimination when you hardly see it often. Your decree stated to not be afraid of loving who you love, and you yourself are a human, in love with a Pokemon. If you discriminate against them, you would have to discriminate against yourself, thus undermining your leadership."**

" **As wise as always Elder Isis."** Yin, the Umbreon elder declared, before he yawned loudly. **"We have discussed much today Pack Leader David, and as such I believe we should leave it here for today."**

"As you request Elder Yin." He said with a nod as the other Elders began to get up and stretch.

They all left the meeting chamber one at a time, though Elder Isis was the last to leave, moving slightly slower than the others and with very tired eyes. Something that he noticed because she was blind, and therefore was easily the most noticed when it came to expressing tiredness.

"Are you alright Elder Isis?" He asked the old Espeon.

" **Oh, of course Pack Leader."** She said with a faint smile. **"I am just very old, that is all. I cannot move as quickly as I used to. Each step requires great effort, as it does for all old Pokemon."**

"Would you like help returning to your chamber?" He asked her as they left the room, where Lancelot and Karen were both waiting for him with Yara and Nera.

" **Oh, no, don't yourself bother Pack Leader."** She said with a hearty but tired chuckle. **"I will manage as I always do."**

"Perhaps, but you should still have help Elder Isis." He said, before turning to Lancelot. "Lancelot, can you please carry Elder Isis to her chamber?"

 **(As you wish.)** He said with a short and respectful bow.

" **I truly do not require help Leader…"** She said, but after a moment Lancelot easily picked her up and began carrying her.

"It's alright Elder Isis, I insist." He said.

" **Well… if I must."** She said with a sigh, and a moment later Lancelot walked away with the old Espeon, taking careful steps as he went.

"Yara, Nera, how is the pack getting along with the battle sparing I decreed?" He asked the two Meowstics as he turned to the twins.

" **As you requested, we've had every member battle to improve themselves."** Yara said. **"A few of the Luxios have evolved into Luxrays, and we have gained three new Mightyenas thanks to several Poochyena participating in the battles as well."**

" **Also, thanks to the Houndours fighting, we have gained two new Houndooms for the pack."** Nera said next. **"Our pack's stronger members have become stronger thanks to these repeated battles, and after Bodyguard Karen began instructing them, our pack's weaker members have improved themselves."**

"You actually began teaching them?" He asked his Braixen as she smirked at him.

" **Of course, you expect a competitively trained Pokemon like me to just let wimps be wimps?"** She asked with a grin.

"Very impressive." He said with a sigh of relief. "Hopefully with all of these…"

A moment later he began feeling a strange sensation.

He was feeling, puzzled, almost confused.

"Did you just feel that?" He asked Karen as she looked confused as well, holding her head with one paw.

" **Yea… weird…"** She replied, but after a few seconds confusion changed to realization, and then enthusiasm. **"I guess you felt that…"**

"Yea… what's going on?" He asked.

(Lucy's PoV)

" **You need to eat slower dear."** Sophia whispered as they ate their food in the lake chamber, away from the fighting ring where several pack members were battling.

" **What are you talking about?"** She complained again, wishing the Furfrou would stop annoying her when she was hungry. **"I'm hungry, leave me alone!"**

" **Well I can understand that you're hungry, but you're eating a 'lot' more than normal dearie."** She scoffed. **"Honestly, I thought you were an Absol, not a Snorlax. Even a Munchlax has a limit to what it eats."**

She glanced down at her food and only agreed 'slightly' with what she said. Her pile of berries and fruit was indeed larger than what the Furfrou had eaten. Heck she was still eating her pile when Sophia had finished hers.

" **Whatever, I just feel really hungry."** She said, going back to eating.

" **Well don't look now, but your 'hunger' seems to have given you quite the 'gros ventre' Lucy."** She chuckled.

Lucy glanced at her stomach as she chewed on some berries, and also noticed that she had gained a bit of weight as well. Seeing her stomach made her groan, and look at the food with loathe, yet for some reason her stomach demanded she keep going. **"Man… if David sees this he'll…"** She began saying when all of a sudden her thoughts stopped.

She glanced at her stomach again, and tried to remember how long it has looked that way.

 _ ***I shouldn't have gained that much weight so fast…***_ She thought in confusion as she noticed the size of her stomach, compared to how she normally was. _***If I did then Sophia would have surely noticed sooner… unless…***_

With that she turned to Xerneas' chamber entrance, and got up and began running toward it.

" **What's wrong?"** Sophia barked as she noticed her leaving so late.

She ran through the pack members, dodging past others as they accidentally got in her way.

 _ ***No way, no way!***_ She thought as she realized something but not daring to believe it. _***It's impossible, she wouldn't…***_

She ran past the last few members between her and Xerneas' chamber and ran through the entrance, walking over grass and the small shrubs she had growing in it. There she saw Xerneas herself lying on the ground, her eyes closed as she was in deep meditation, almost asleep.

 **(Why have you entered my chamber, Future Seer?)** She asked in her mind, sounding thoroughly annoyed at the disturbance as she opened her eyes. **(I specifically said, none but David may enter, unless granted permission by him. That rule extends to you as well.)**

" **Shut up Xerneas!"** She yelled furiously, but also with a look that demanded answers. **"I'm the Prime Mate, first wife to Leader David, and I demand some answers!"**

Xerneas looked at her and did not change her appearance in the slightest, but her annoyance only grew with her tone. **(Very well… ask your question.)**

" **You're the Life Pokemon… you can tell when new life is created right?"** She asked as she stepped forward, turning on her four paws to show her from the side. **"Can you tell me…?"**

Xerneas glanced at her stomach, before glancing at her. **(What do you want me to say?)** She asked with a chuckle. **(Congratulations are in order?)**

She opened her eyes widely as she heard what Xerneas said, but her enthusiasm was kept in check until she heard the words. **"You mean…?"**

Xerneas nodded, and looked warmly at her. **(Yes… you're carrying an egg inside of you now.)** She declared. **(Congratulations Lucy… you're pregnant, with David's Pup.)**

" **I'm… I'm…"** She whispered as she heard the words, before her face bore a huge smile as the joy began building up. **"I'M PREGNAAAAAAAAANT!"** She screamed happily. **"But… how... you said we couldn't without…"**

 **(I decided that, you have been patient enough, and you are responsible enough to carry the burden of giving birth to a new life.)** She said gently. **(Remember, you are giving birth to a life that will enter our pact, and thus gain immortality as the rest of you. I give you but one life to create… take care of this life…)**

" **We will…"** She whispered hoarsely as she smiled happily while walking over to nuzzle her. **"I will Xerneas… thank you… thank you so much!"**

Xerneas cooed in pleasure as she was nuzzled. **(Well, you have what you have asked, and what I have denied you for long enough young one.)** She said warmly to her. **(Go to your mate now… give him the good news…)**

" **I will… I will!"** She said as she got up, and began carefully running out of her chamber and back into the lake chamber.

She didn't even bother telling anyone she ran past, not even Sophia as she tried to get her attention. She had only one thought running through her mind.

She was finally pregnant.

(David's PoV)

"Alright Yara, Nera, you two may retire to your chamber." He said to the two Meowstics as he and Karen reached his chamber.

" **Thank you leader."** Yara said as they turned to leave, while he entered his chamber alone, whereas Karen waited at the entrance.

"I wonder all that was about." He said as he thought back to the sudden change of emotions he and Karen felt earlier.

Yet his thoughts ended as he heard someone yelling excitedly for him outside. **"David, David!"** He heard, and it sounded like Lucy.

He turned around and watched as Lucy ran into their chamber, tackling him into their bed as she hit him head on. "Lucy!" He said as he sat up on their bed with her. "What's going…?"

" **I'm pregnant!"** She yelled happily as Karen now ran in. **"I'm pregnant David, I'm pregnant!"**

For the first few moments he just simply stared at her, before his brain began processing what she just said. "Your… what?" He asked hoarsely.

" **I'm pregnant!"** She whispered happily. **"I just found out… Xerneas just told me… I'm pregnant!"**

"You mean… but how… I never asked for her… I mean… we never asked her if…" He said while Karen looked confused.

" **She just gave us permission… it must have happened when we made love over a month ago!"** She said happily as she backed up and showed him. **"Look, see for yourself!"**

He and Karen looked at Lucy's stomach, and sure enough, it was larger than it normally was. He leaned closer and rubbed her stomach and felt it. Without a doubt, he felt a slight bulge that was harder than muscle, and was far too firm to be body fat.

He finally understood, he was feeling Lucy's egg inside of her. They had done it.

"I'm going to be a father…" He whispered in amazement as she smiled warmly at him. "We're going to be parents…"

" **Yes… we are…"** She cooed as she leaned over and kissed him. **"And you are the one who got me pregnant… I've always dreamed of this moment!"**

" **Wow… so Lucy was the first to get knocked up huh?"** Karen said as Lucy kissed him deeply. **"Congratulations you two…"**

" **Did I hear correctly?"** Sophia barked as they turned to see her walk in. **"Our Premier désastre Maté is 'enceinte'?"**

" **Yes… I'm finally pregnant!"** She said happily as she showed her stomach for Sophia. **"And we don't need to look any further for the father."**

They all looked at Lucy while Lucy looked at him, and without any other words needing to be exchanged, he knelt next to his Absol lover and kissed her lovingly on her lips, and she kissed him just as lovingly back.

" **I'll go and tell Yara and Nera the news… I think the whole pack should learn of this!"** Karen said as she began to leave, though just as she left they all heard her mutter. **"No Destiny Knot… I wonder what the IV's are ganna be…"**

As she left he and Lucy laid on the bed with Sophia, both he and his Absol still making out with one another while he rubbed her stomach softly, now fully aware that she was carrying a very important life inside of her.

Their first pup, the very first pup their 'family' had.

They stopped kissing long enough to look at each other, before they all looked at Lucy's stomach once again, and subconsciously the newborn life growing inside of her. "I'm so proud of you Lucy…" He said softly to her. "We really did it… we actually did it…"

" **Our firstborn pup… your heir…"** She said happily. **"I've always wanted to have your pup… and now I'm finally going to have it."**

" **So… what are we going to call it?"** Sophia barked happily as she stared at the couple.

"Won't know, until our pup comes out." David said as he continued to rub her stomach.

" **I can't wait to find out…"** Lucy said.

" **Me too darling… and I wonder… do you think Xerneas will let 'me' have a pup?"**

"One pup at a time Sophia… one pup at a time." He chuckled. "Let me get used to having one pup first… before we have another!"

He still couldn't believe what was happening, months ago he was just a writer living near Camphrier Town. Then he became a Pokemon Pack's leader, having to do so to protect his friend Lucy. Then he and Sophia learned of Karen, Terrance, and Lancelot, and how they were all somehow 'connected' together. Then they found Xerneas and discovered their missing link to each other, and why they knew one another so intimately.

And now, he and Lucy, the very same Lucy that had been his friend before he became a Pack Leader, was now pregnant with his 'child'.

 _*If only my old friends could see me now…*_ He thought happily as he couldn't believe what his life had become. _*Imagine, if I'd never walked down that path to visit Lucy that one day…*_

=Author's Notes=

Hi everyone, this is your imperator, and yes I am still alive!

I apologize for not having written more for my fics, but school's busy, and now I've got 3 fics I'm juggling alongside this one!

But don't worry, I'll do what I can!


	32. Chapter 28

_*How did it come to this…*_

 _*To have lived through so much and journeyed so far…*_

 _*How can all that we have done, be endangered so easily?*_

=Chapter 28, Lancelot's Betrayal=

(David's PoV, five days after Lucy's Pregnancy)

He stared at his Lucario companion as he was restrained by powerful Ariados webbing, keeping him from moving so much as an inch of his body in any direction. Next to his Lucario on either side were Houndooms, two on each side, their flaming mouths at the ready should he try anything to break free.

On either side of him was Yara and Nera, behind him Karen his Braxen, and at least four Mightyena guards, all of whom waiting for orders or if Lancelot should make any sudden movements.

He knew from their bond, their connection, that his Lucario would never hurt him, or threaten him in any way, shape or form. Yet despite his knowledge, the pack believed otherwise.

"Guards… leave us." He said to them all.

They all looked at him, and nodded, leaving the chamber, only Yara, Nera and Karen remained with him and Lancelot.

With them all gone he finally stepped forward and sat before his Lucario, wondering why he had done what he had done.

 **(I wish I could honestly answer it Master.)** He told him telepathically. **(I wish I could take back what I did… but I just can't take it back.)**

"Lancelot… of all the Pokemon in this pack… of all the females who admire you, who are crazy about you, respect you… out of every single female who would have been happy to have been picked by you." He whispered quietly. "Why 'her' out of all the members in this pack?"

His Lucario could only look up with his eyes, because even his head was bound as tight as the rest of him. **(You know as well as I why Master… I just can't deny my own heart.)** He said sadly. **(I can't betray my feelings for the one I care deeply for, I just can't betray my heart.)**

"I know, but if it had been any other female, you wouldn't be bound right now, awaiting my decision as to your fate." He said to him. "Lancelot, you know as well as I that no matter what happens, I cannot sentence you to death… you know what that means for the rest of 'us'."

 **(Yes… death for all of us.)** He replied, reciting Xerneas' warning to the pack just hours ago when so many had called for his death.

"Dammit Lancelot, if it were ANY other member of the pack, it wouldn't be 'this' hard!" He shouted furiously. "On one hand I need to punish you by the Pack's laws, laws that were established and cannot be changed by even me! But on the other hand if I punish you in any manner, all of us suffer alongside you, including Lucy and our unborn pup."

They sat in silence as they both tried to find a solution to their problem, but no matter how hard David thought, he couldn't find one.

"Why did you pick her Lancelot… why her, why not Icicle or any other female?" He asked him.

Silence yet again while he waited for Lancelot to answer now. **(It's easy for you to say that master… because you are the pack leader.)** He answered sourly. **(You can have 'any' female, and suffer no repercussions, Lucy even inspires you to do such acts just to please you, you yourself even have two wives with a third counting Karen, who will never let another but you claim her. I however cannot in good conscious choose 'any' female that takes my fancy, not anymore… not since Xerneas enlightened us of our pact…)**

"So you picked a Pokemon that could last as long as you, one you had grown attracted to… and grew attracted to you." He finished. "But why 'Lunara' Lancelot… she has a mate already, she's told you a dozen times over and over again. She 'has' a mate that she was devoted to, why did you claim her when she is already taken?"

Lunara, one of the Froslass Winter Reserve Guardians, the second most respected and second highest authority for all of the Winter Guards. He had only learned that morning of what had happened, and now both Lancelot and Lunara were facing high crimes of eloping and possible endangerment of the Pack Leader's authority.

Lancelot only closed his eyes as he too thought about that question, how everything had happened the day before, and now why he was bound and under watch.

(Lancelot's PoV, the day before…)

Lancelot sighed as he looked around the underground lake chamber, thinking private thoughts while Terrance carried him.

" **And so, he asks me for advice about raising kids."** Terrance said as he swam across the lake with him on his back. **"Can you believe that, our former Trainer, who gave 'us' advice and orders on how to fight in our past life, is asking for 'my' advice with how to raise pups?"**

 **(Yea, it does seem weird.)** He said quietly.

" **You seem distracted, what's up Lance?"** The Lapras asked curiously as they approached the small island where the cave entrance to the winter reserves were.

 **(I am just… thinking is all…)** He replied.

The news of their trainer, David, and his Prime Mate, Lucy, having succeeded and producing an egg between them had spread through the pack like a wildfire. There was great joy among the many Pokemon who favored their leader highly, and among those who weren't nearly as favorable toward him had awarded praise and congratulations to them.

However, just as subtly, he noticed a great many Pokemon, particularly those who were closest to David, at least emotionally, had begun talking and conversing among themselves.

Acting as his bodyguard, Lancelot had questioned them, and discovered that it was common knowledge, at least with the majority of their past leaders, that almost no male offspring born to their pack Leader ever survived long enough to either take over the position or even live a long enough life to see the end of their father's rule. With exception to Scar's sons, Ardent and Vicious, one of whom was dead now, no other male offspring ever survived because often what happened was that potential rivals would find a way to kill off the offspring to ensure the leader had no heirs.

The only reason Ardent and Vicious never tried to claim the position was that their father Scar had been alive still when David took over, and of course Lancelot and Karen had joined Yara and Nera as his bodyguards. But with the news that Lucy was now pregnant, many were afraid that after so much effort, their first born pup may very well become the target of some member who might be a potential rival.

The only question they kept asking was 'who' could be a rival now, what with how everyone saw Lancelot and Karen battling against by far the most dangerous threat their pack has ever faced thus far.

However that was not what was on his mind at the moment, and as they neared the entrance he was not about to share what was on his mind.

" **Alright, well here's your stop bud, keep an eye on the food!"** He said with a chuckle as he slowed to a stop and Lance jumped off.

 **(As well as I should…)** He replied.

As he began making his way, first through the entrance and then down the tunnel system, the first thing he did was change his sight to see for Auras. As he did he saw dozens of auras floating around him, some above, some below, some on his level, and all going in various directions.

Yet he had eyes only for one particular aura, one vibrantly beautiful blue aura that he was longing to see again.

Ten minutes later he passed through the last tunnel entrance, having memorized the tunnel layout that was necessary to reach the food chamber and the entrance itself after so many visits, and entered the main food chamber.

Even though less than two months remained for the winter season, the food reserves still held a vast pool of berries and fruits for the pack to eat. Though he noticed it was starting to get emptied more and more with more mouths to feed and more 'expecting' mothers appearing.

Thinking of Lucy being pregnant, made him begin thinking of his own life as well, and how, despite the 'awkward' relationship between everyone in their pact, only 'he' had yet to have anyone for his own. Even Terrance the Lapras had a family somewhere.

At least, that's what everyone else saw.

After entering the chamber he glanced around and saw that once again, Lunara was alone in guarding and shifting the berries around. At his entrance she glanced up at him, smiled and beckoned him over to her, where she was currently shifting a smile pile into position for distributing to the pack.

" **Good morning Lancelot."** She said calmly.

" **Good morning Lunara."** He replied as he bent down and helped her shift the food.

There was silence for a good two minutes before they both went to the main pile and began shifting around food again. **"So… is anyone else coming?"** She asked him.

" **I didn't see any intruders while I was coming down."** He responded.

" **Any other guardians approaching?"** She asked again, still not looking up at him while she moved food around.

" **I sense nobody approaching right now."** He said, confirming it with another glance of his Aura senses.

" **So your saying, we are alone right now?"** She asked almost instantly.

" **Yes… we are alone."** He replied as he got up and carried more berries for one of the piles. **"We are completely alone."**

There was a moment of silence again before Lancelot and Lunara dropped their berries off on the pile.

Then the next second was the two of them pulling each other almost violently into a passionate and frenzied kiss.

" **MHmmm!"** Lunara moaned as she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him tightly as he moaned back as well, gripping her cold body just as tightly to him.

For a good four minutes they simply kissed, only separating to breathe, before once more shoving their lips against one another's. In their fierce exchange of lips on lips, she began pushing him closer and closer toward the wall in a zigzag pattern. Yet after a few minutes of ravaging each other's mouths, they fell backward and simply laid against the wall continuing their assaults against one another's faces.

It had been almost five weeks since Serena attacked their den, but in the five weeks since then Lancelot and Lunara had grown closer and closer. Until one day, they both found themselves talking to one another in private, having a conversation about something they couldn't remember now. But after they kept trying to maintain their discretion toward one another, something ignited between them during that 'talk', and then they could no longer contain themselves.

Lunara's attraction to him had grown after seeing him in battle against Karen, and of hearing his great powers and strengths from Icicle who'd witnessed them firsthand. As for Lancelot, he had been resisting and forcing himself to remain at a distance from Lunara, but it had been all in vain.

All it took was a compliment from Lancelot, saying how 'beautiful' Lunara was to him, and a returning compliment from her about how much she admired his 'chivalrous' nature, before the two of them were staring deeply into each other's eyes and finally wrapping their arms around one another.

" **Mmmnha hah…"** Lancelot gasped as they finally stopped kissing one another.

" **Oh Lancelot, it's been too long for my liking!"** She moaned lovingly as she nuzzled her cheek against him.

" **It's only been half a day Lunara!"** He said back to her, nuzzling her cheek as well.

" **But it feels like eternity to me!"** She whispered back.

Even as she said that, he felt his heart fluttering as he held the most beautiful creature in the world next him. But even as he smiled and held her close to him, a single thought running through his mind continued to ruin the moment, and had ruined it constantly for the last three days.

" **Does Glitter suspect anything?"** He asked sadly, not wanting to spoil the mood but needing to know.

Lunara sighed sadly, and he instantly knew the mood was killed just by asking that question. **"No… he does not suspect."** She said just as sadly. **"He rarely talks to me, as you know… he probably doesn't even realize how 'distant' I've become with him."**

He nodded in understanding and continued to hold her close to him, but even as he did he berated himself for what he had done.

Their relationship was a huge secret, not a single soul in the entire pack besides the two of them knew what was going on between them. None of the Winter Reserve Guardians suspected a thing, and none of the other pack members guessed what had happened between them or why they were acting this way.

But deep down he hated that they had to keep it a secret, and even deeper down he hated himself for what he had done.

" **Lancelot… what are we to do?"** Lunara asked him nervously. **"If the pack leader finds out about us… he will have us killed!"**

" **No he won't, my master will not kill us!"** He said instantly, looking at her with determined eyes. **"I know my master won't dare hurt either of us, he's nothing like Scar!"**

" **But what we're doing… is a high crime in this pack Lancelot… only the Pack Leader is permitted to take another mate besides the Prime Mate. And I am 'still' mated to Glitter!"** She replied with a worried look. **"You saw what happened to Vicious, we killed him in the most 'horrible' manner for his attempt on the Second Prime Mate. What will the pack do if they learn of what we're doing?"**

" **No he won't, I promise you Lunara!"** He said just as calmly as she was nervous. **"My master is kind, he will not punish us for loving each other!"**

" **But the pack 'will'…"** She whispered sadly. **"You don't understand Lancelot… none of the pack's males must threaten the Leader's position, if they learn that you and I love each other, while I am 'still' mated to Glitter… it will be seen as an act of treason against the Pack Leader's authority. You will be viewed as a rival to him, and they will be required to take action against you!"**

" **But they won't kill me, I know he won't let me die, because I am 'not' a threat to him."** He assured her, lifting her worried face to look at him. **"I am loyal to my master, and I will protect him against anything and anyone! No matter what happens to me, nothing will happen to him and nothing will happen to 'us'."**

She nodded in acceptance and simply held him closer to her. **"But what are we to do… I don't want to lose you Lancelot… nor do I wish to be banished from the pack! If we commit to the act… if you take me as your mate… there will be no mercy for us. The Pack Leader may spare us, and the Pack may spare us… but Glitter and the other Reserve Guards will not spare us! He will slaughter you for even touching me… and they will never let you live to face the pack's judgement!"**

" **The Winter Reserve Guards serve the Pack Leader… but what happens down here is under 'our' authority, and the Pack Leader has no say in how we cast our judgement, nor how we carry it out."**

He nodded and held her closer, knowing that it was very well possible that such a thing would happen, but he also knew that he would never let 'anything' happen to Lunara. He would rather take all of the blame for her performing such a criminal act in her eyes, and he would indeed take all of the blame.

If it weren't for him and his attractions to her, neither of them would be having this conversation.

" **Lunara… tomorrow I will speak to David… and I will face the pack's judgement no matter what it is."** He said determinedly. **"If you don't want to be punished… I will not force you to become mine… you can stay true to Glitter and… I will not blame you. But…"**

" **I know… you want me as 'your' mate…"** She answered for him, looking at him with scared eyes. **"Will you promise me… that no matter what the outcome of this… betrayal… you will stay with me?"**

He bent closer to the Froslass and kissed her on the mouth, pulling her as close to him as he physically could, making sure to sense for any auras nearby and detecting none.

After a few minutes they separated and nodded in response. **"Will you be mine?"** He asked her.

She looked into his eyes, then back to the pit of food that was her charge, and almost seemed to be fighting a fierce battle in her mind as to the answer for his question. He knew what she was thinking, she was a loyal Froslass of the Winter Reserve Guards. She had devoted her life to serving the pack and protecting its food, even at the threat of losing her life to protect it from intruders. To her, devotion to duty and loyalty to the Pack Leader was her entire life, and what mattered most to her above all things.

Yet because they had fallen in love with each other, and she was still mated to Glitter, she was committing in her eyes, an act of high treason against the Pack Leader.

It was common knowledge that the Pack Leader, by his position, could have any female as his Prime or even Second Prime Mate. He could also choose to mate with any female that he wanted to who took his fancy, and it was considered an honor for them to mate with him in their pack. If she committed to mating Lancelot, and it was discovered, she would lose all of her authority, if not her life.

" **I don't want to betray Glitter Lancelot…"** She whispered softly to him at last. **"And I don't want to betray the pack or our Pack Leader. But I… I just can't deny how I feel…"**

" **And I can't deny my feelings for you Lunara…"** He whispered just as softly to her. **"I tried to do that… but each time I tried to push myself away from you… I ended up wanting to be closer to you."**

" **Glitter is still my mate Lancelot… how can I just… betray him?"** She asked.

" **He wasn't worthy of you, you offered him more than he deserved from you, and he ignored you and all that you were."** He said instantly. **"You can only betray one who truly cares for you, and if he even cared a little about you, he would not have ignored you as he did…"**

There was silence as she simply held him and he held her, before she spoke yet again. **"I still care about him…"**

He hesitated when she said that, but he easily asked his next question. **"And how do you feel about me?"**

She looked up at him mournfully, shedding a single tear that instantly crystalized and fell to the floor with a 'plink'. **"I care more for you… than I ever did him…"** She said at last. **"Our union was one of… mutual agreement… so we each had 'someone' to talk to down here. There was no… 'love'… behind it."**

" **And I love you Lunara… and I would never hurt you or ignore you as Glitter did…"** He said. **"If you want to stay with Glitter… I'll shoulder the blame alone, and you need not…"**

" **No… if you do this… then I will follow you."** She said instantly, looking just as determined as he was moments ago. **"I… I… I will be… your mate…"**

As she said that with the fierce determination of one who had their mind set, he felt his heart jump with joy.

But all he could of then, as he looked into her eyes, and once again leaned into a kiss that she reciprocated, before they went down the exit tunnel, and into an isolated room where none of the other guards would notice them.

Or hear what they were doing.

(Lancelot's PoV, three hours later)

He waited by the lake as Terrance swam over to take him back to the mainland. As he waited, he was doing his best to suppress every emotion he could.

" **Hey Lancelot!"** Terrance said as he floated by and Lancelot jumped onto his back. **"Had fun guarding the food?"**

He remained as passive as he could, but what Terrance said made him ask, **"What do you mean by fun?"**

" **Oh nothing, I'm just bored sitting around here in the water all day."** He chucked as he swam across the lake. **"You know, being a floating transport on water, can't exactly move around on land."**

" **Oh, I see."** He replied.

" **By the way, did you feel anything… odd a while ago?"** Terrance asked curiously.

" **Odd?"** Lancelot asked calmly.

" **Yea… everyone in our group felt… happy, unusually happy, and not the same kind of happy that we've been feeling from Lucy."** He said. **"Then after all of the pleasure we felt for a while ended, we all began feeling something like… distress or so… it was rather confusing. I was wondering, did something happen to you or one of the others? Xerneas said she was meditating and I haven't heard from David, Karen or Lucy in a while since it happened."**

" **No… I can't think of anything at the moment…"** He said instantly.

" **I see…"** Terrance said, but the way he said it made Lancelot see that the Lapras wasn't convinced. **"Well in any case, here's your stop pal, 'catch you later'!"**

" **Very funny Terrance."** Lancelot said as he jumped off and began walking toward the living chambers.

He could feel Terrance watching him, and he sensed through their pact that the Lapras was suspicious, but he kept his emotions in check.

Fifteen minutes later, he reached the living chambers, and entered his chamber, and toward his bed. Then he collapsed onto his bed and began sobbing.

" **What have I done…?"** He whispered sadly.

(David's PoV, present)

David sighed as he remembered what happened earlier that day during the dead of night.

Several hours later after Lancelot returned from his watch, there was an uproar as several of the Winter Reserve Guards learned of what happened, and reported it to the pack as a whole while David and his Prime Mates slept. He was taken prisoner, and the only thing that saved his life at the time was Xerneas herself, using her powers to keep the pack's more dangerous members at by until he was informed.

After Lancelot confessed to what had happened, many of the pack had become divided, between those who wanted to kill or banish Lancelot for undermining the Pack Leader's position by taking another mate for his own, and those who wanted to hear the story behind why he did what he did.

According to the Pack's laws, the only one allowed that right to claim another's mate, was the Pack Leader. Anyone else found committing that act was considered a threat to the Pack Leader's authority, as if they were willing to break the rule of claiming another's mate, they might very well threaten the Pack Leader himself.

As Pack Leader, he could issue any punishment to those who committed such an act, but because it was Lancelot who was on trial, he could not punish his Lucario without hurting the rest of their pact. Xerneas herself said so in his defense, declaring that anyone who wished to kill Lancelot, would have to do so, knowing that they would also be killing herself and the others joined to her via the pact, meaning David, Lucy, Karen, Sophia, Terrance, and especially the unborn pup Lucy was carrying.

The moment her pup's life had been threatened, Lucy used her own authority, and had Lancelot placed in a secured location, where he would be imprisoned until it was time for his trial. The guards were both meant to protect him from those who wanted to kill the now 'traitorous' Lucario, and to ensure he did not threaten David's authority, or her unborn Pup's life.

Despite David's knowledge and faith that his Lucario and Mega Evolution companion would never threaten him or the others, he had no choice but to abide by the Pack's rules.

"I wish none of this had happened Lancelot…" He whispered.

 **(As do I master…)** He replied just as mournfully. **(But what has happened, happened… so what will become of me now?)**

He looked at his Lucario friend, and shook his head. "That's for the Council of Elders to decide, they'll hear your case tomorrow, as well as the arguments for and against your punishment. They will decide what will become of you Lancelot… and for your sake… I hope they are understanding to your reasoning."

 **(I hope so too Master…)** He said. **(I spent fifteen years of my life… searching the region to be with you… I don't want to be separated from you again.)**

"We'll find out tomorrow Lancelot…" He said quietly as he stood up. "I will see you tomorrow at your trial. Until then…"

He turned and began leaving with Karen, Nera, and Yara behind him, before Lancelot called out to him again. **(What about Lunara, what has happened to her!?)**

David stopped and turned to look at Lancelot's face, full of worry for the Frosslass. "She's with Xerneas right now, the only one in the entire pack besides me, Lucy, Sophia, Karen, and the Twins, who is powerful enough to keep her safe from Glitter and the other Winter Reserve Guards." He said. "Until your trial tomorrow, she will remain with Xerneas under guard, where she will testify to her own guilt in this situation. I wish I could tell you more, but that's all I can tell you right now Lancelot."

 **(I see… thank you then… master.)** He sighed with relief.

"I promise Lancelot… I'll do all I can to keep you both safe." He said softly. "But even though I'm the Pack Leader… even I have rules I must follow."

 **(I know… I know…)** He said, as David walked out and the guards walked back in to resume watching him.


	33. Chapter 29

_*I know not what love is like…*_

 _*Nor do I know what it feels like when expressed by myself…*_

 _*I can only feel it through them…*_

=Chapter 29, The Trial of Lancelot=

(Lunara's PoV)

Lunara floated quietly inside of Xerneas' chamber, the only safe place in the den for her now that the news of her eloping with Lancelot had escaped.

She thought back about the night before, when it was discovered by Glitter and the others, it was a struggle between the two divisions of the Winter Guards who wanted to punish her severely, and those who wanted to understand her 'why' she did it.

Before they punished her severely.

She looked over at the life Pokemon miserably as she sat in the middle of her grove, neither looking at her nor looking at the entrance.

The only being outside of the Pack Leader, the Elders, and the Leader's bodyguards who was willing to protect and shield her was Xerneas herself, and only because she had taken the task upon herself.

Ever since she entered this sacred chamber, one where only the Pack Leader and those who received his permission were permitted to enter, she has been shielded and protected to prevent anyone from killing her out of anger.

 _ ***This is my punishment, for my crime…***_ She thought miserably to herself as she floated around, trying to find 'something' to do with herself while she awaited the start of the trial.

For all her loyalty, for all her devotion to the pack, for her years of service to the pack as both its food protector and food caretaker as a Winter Reserve Guardian, all it took was one act of high treason against the Pack Leader's authority to sentence her to death.

 **(For one so committed to your pack, you seem to have very little faith in your life.)** Xerneas whispered gently to her, causing her to look up at the life Pokemon.

Xerneas looked back at her with gentle eyes, and she felt the peace and tranquility of the life Pokemon pouring into her.

" **How can I not?"** She asked her. **"After what I have done, what Lancelot and I have done… how can we 'not' be sentenced to death? What Lancelot and I did is an act of betrayal against the Pack Leader's authority!"** She looked back down at the ground and shook her head in despair. **"The privilege to claim another mate besides your own belongs only to the Pack Leader, it is how it always has been. Not even Lancelot can escape our fate…"**

There was silence yet again, before Xerneas spoke to her. **(In that case, then the pack must kill me as well, including Terrance… and Karen, and through them Lucy, Sophia, David, and his unborn pup within Lucy.)** She said in a calm tone. **(For whenever one of us claims a mate, be it one of us or another, through our pact, we also partially claim 'that' mate.)**

She looked up at Xerneas with a confused expression. **"What do you mean, you did not mate with me?"**

 **(Perhaps not directly, but our fates are entwined, whatever Lancelot suffers, I will suffer… as will the others.)** She answered. **(Should Lancelot mate with you… 'I' will indirectly mate with you, as will the others, it is the way of our pact, a fate that we cannot escape now that we have found each other. Though I have not been claimed or have claimed David as my mate, through Lucy, Sophia and Karen I have felt the pleasures of love and care for him. Through 'him' I have felt the same love and devotion he has for them.)** She looked up at the ceiling now with the same serious expression as always. **(I felt the pain Lancelot felt when he took you as his, but at the same time, the joy he felt. His love for you is as pure as David's is for Lucy and Sophia, the same as it is for Karen.)**

Lunara thought about that moment now that Xerneas spoke of it, the moment when Lancelot betrayed the trust of his Pack Leader and took 'another's' mate as his own.

It was both the happiest and most painful moment in her life.

(Lunara's and Lancelot's PoV, the day before)

Lunara had led him into an isolated room where they were both currently locking lips with one another, enjoying the gentle warmness and wetness of each other's mouths.

She had not once in her whole life ever truly mated with Glitter, not since they were both really considered mates. The title only served to show everyone that she was taken, in fact it's only real purpose was so that she had someone to talk to as they spent most of their time guarding and on patrols.

But that wasn't the point she was concerned with as they leaned against the room's wall, for her only thought, her only concern, was for the magnificent Lucario that she had fallen in love with.

For the first time in her life, she had someone who warmed her heart, and made her feel important, not to the pact, but to a single individual.

Lancelot at the same time was having only one minor fault spoiling the wonderful moment he was having with the beautiful Froslass. He knew that what they were doing would get them in serious trouble, and he was probably the cause for the entire situation, and once what they did was discovered his loyalty would be called into question.

After all, if he could 'forcibly' take another's mate in the pack, what was preventing him from perhaps striking down his own Pack Leader?

 _ ***They would not understand…***_ He thought as he continued to smother Lunara's cold lips with his warm lips, caressing her cold skirt-like body even as she caressed his own body. _***I would not threaten my master in any way…***_

While they continued to caress and hold each other he began to feel his arousal showing, and it wasn't long before Lunara noticed it as well.

They slowly separated before she stared at him with the same gentle, loving eyes that she began showing only to him. Then she nodded at him, silently telling him what he had to do.

Because of how Froslass bodies were, the only way they could really mate with any species was by lowering themselves onto their mates. It wasn't the most 'romantic' method of mating, but that was how her species did it.

With that simple nod, he lowered him and laid down on the cold floor, with his erection poking into the air. It didn't take long though before Lunara floated above his erection, smiled gently again, and lowered herself down onto it.

It only took one attempt, but as she lowered herself down her dress-like body spread ever so slightly before his dick met her pussy's lips. Once the two met each other, she slid him into her, and they both moaned in pleasure at feeling one another.

Her first reaction was how 'full' she felt, she had never ever mated with any Pokemon before, not even Glitter. This was essentially her 'first time', but it felt amazing despite the foreign sensation she was feeling.

He was 'warm', that was the only way she could describe the feeling of having his erection inside of her sacred place. It was warm, wonderfully warm.

 _ ***Is this how all mates feel like when they mate? ***_ She asked herself.

Lancelot meanwhile was in paradise, she was wonderfully tight, despite her cold temperature her walls were soothing to him, as if she were massaging him through mere contact.

With their contact made she began to move herself slowly up and down, holding his pawed hands with her own hands, moaning each time she slid up even the tiniest of inches.

Her walls tightened each time she moved up and widened when she moved down, each action causing enormous pleasure for both her and him.

" **Oh~!"** Lunara moaned, unable to control herself and grateful that there were no echoes because of it.

Lancelot was feeling just as much pleasure as Lunara was expressing, in fact, he was feeling it 'too well'. He knew that because of his pact with Xerneas, what he felt would be shared with the others.

But that could wait, right now, he was more concerned with pleasing Lunara even as she pleased him.

Slowly he let go of Lunara's hands and rubbed her arms while beginning to thrust his hips up ever so slowly, so that whenever she moved down he moved up, enhancing both of their pleasure from the sexual act.

" **Lunara… you feel… this is… amazing…~!"** He whispered as they began to move faster.

" **Yes… it is!"** She whispered as she moved faster. **"I'm… feeling… something! I don't know… why… but I feel so good~!"**

He knew what was about to happen, he had felt it 'many times' thanks to David and his Prime Mates. Wanting to finish faster so as not to prolong the feeling for the others to feel, and hoping that they were distracted by 'anything' else, he began to thrust up and down as fast as he could.

Within a few moments of them moving at their new pace, he gave one final thrust and hilted as far as he could into the Froslass, burying his knot into her and binding them both through the act, while also filling her womb with his seed.

They both moaned from the sensation and held their pose for several long minutes, before they began to come down from their sexual highs.

That was when he began to feel afraid, not for himself, but for Lunara.

 _ ***I just claimed the mate of my dreams…***_ He thought sadly as his knot slowly began to deflate enough and slide back into its sheath. _***And yet… why do I feel so… terrible…***_

They both were thinking the same thing, what they'd just done could never be 'undone'.

But Lunara was thinking something else, something that Lancelot still couldn't think about.

She had just committed a high act of treason… against the Pack Leader's authority, and betrayed her trust with Glitter and the Winter Reserve Guards as a whole.

She would be lucky to live to see a sunrise, provided they banished her from the pack and sent her away.

(Lunara's PoV, Present)

She sighed sadly as she finished remembering the moment, knowing that even if she were to die, she would at least die happily.

She would at least always have one memory that would brighten her sadness.

" **Xerneas!"** A female voice called from inside. **"It's time!"**

Xerneas nodded and rose to her full height, and turned to look at her. **(Come… I will walk with you.)** She declared softly.

She nodded and slowly followed behind her, clinging to the only thing that gave her strength as she headed toward her own execution.

She would not be in this alone.

(Multi PoV, Meeting Chamber, later that day)

Every member of the pack was gathered within the meeting hall, including a few members of the Winter Reserve Guards, with the majority of them still down in the catacombs. Sitting in the center of the room in a semicircle were the Elders Yin, Isis, Nayru, Kuma, Jen and Spinner.

David with the pregnant Lucy sitting on his left and Sophia on his right were sitting far behind them with several Mightyena guards along with the twins Yara and Nera for 'protection'.

Standing before the elders with several Houndooms sitting behind them, with their mouths all flaming in preparation should they try anything foolish, were Lancelot and Lunara.

David could only look at his brave Lucario standing alone, even with Lunara beside him, his head barely held up from shame, with his mega stone taken away.

It had taken all he could to talk to the Elders to not be judgmental instantly against Lancelot and Lunara, to hear their case and let the arguments from everyone decide their actions, but it had been very difficult.

Kuma, being a Mightyena, wanted to instantly execute the two, but Isis wanted to hear about 'why' they did what they did.

Nayru, knew of Lancelot well and she too was interested in hearing about the crime, while Jen outright had very little concern with the case, only showing interest because of Lucy's unborn pup.

Yin was of the same mindset as Kuma, but being an Umbreon, he was more cautious, and reminded them all of what would happen should Lancelot be executed.

Spinner, having known them all very little, was neutral, only obeying the rules laid out by David and the Pack as a whole, as his station demanded.

Of those who would speak for and against Lancelot, there were several who would speak in his defense, to plead for sparing him while others would call for his punishment. David and his two wives however, could not do anything to protect their team mate. Lancelot would stand alone besides those whom David asked to speak for his defense. It was now up to the Elders to determine his fate, only the arguments and the reasons of those Pokemon who would speak could sway the Elders' decision now.

" **The trial will now commence, now that we are all gathered!"** Kuma the Mightyena elder barked, calling silence to the crowd of Pokemon. **"Those of Pack David gathered, we face a trial of great proportions this day, for during the later months of Winter and upon learning of Prime Mate Lucy's pregnancy, we must think about the future of our pack!"**

" **Indeed, but while this trial calls into question the loyalty of one Lancelot, bodyguard to Pack Leader David, let us not forget what it is we are seeking to learn of in this trial!"** Isis the Espeon elder declared, her blind eyes looking around sightlessly at the crowd before coming to rest on Lancelot and Lunara. **"Lancelot… are you prepared to answer for your crimes… and you too Lunara? Are you both prepared to tell us of why you have done what you did?"**

There was silence as everyone looked at the Lucario and Froslass, with both of them looking back at the Elders, one with fear in her eyes and the other with brave fortitude.

 **(We are!)** Lancelot said bravely, speaking psychically so that David could hear him, despite wearing the translator.

" **Then tell us… do you know of what it is you are being tried for?"** Jen, the Furfrou elder barked angrily.

Holding his head up high and with a proud declaration, Lancelot declared, **(I stand trial for my love of Lunara of the Winter Reserve Guards…)** He said. **(My crime is 'love'!)**

There was a wave of murmuring and whispers among the pack members, all of whom were obviously talking about the declaration.

Sophia, who despite being a house pet Furfrou, had very sharp hearing, and thanks to her many years of listening in on private conversations in the barber shops was able to determine snippets of conversations. **"They're asking 'what does he mean by his crime is love' darling!"** She whispered to David.

"I hope for his sake he has a plan." David said to them.

The Elders looked at each other before Nayru spoke up next. **"Then, perhaps you can explain to us, just what exactly do you mean?"** The Ninetales Elder asked gently. **"How is this a trial of 'love'?"**

" **Because… I would never, not for 'any' reason… ever threaten my master, your 'Pack leader'!"** He responded determinedly. **"If he asks anything of me, I will do it, I spent fifteen years of my life searching the whole of Kalos, searching from human city to human city, traveling down every route and looking for every human trainer I could find for him! I searched for a single pebble in a sea of rocks and boulders, just to be reunited with him!"** He glanced over at David and took a deep breath before he continued.

" **After all of this time, I would never, ever… threaten him in any way… I would sacrifice myself just to keep him from harm! So even though what I have done is an act against the Pack Leader's position by your rules… to me, it is not the reason for this trial. I have no desire to undermine his authority… and would gladly do anything to prove it. So to answer your question Elder Nayru… this is not a trial for my crime against Leader David… this is a trial for my crime in loving Lunara."**

Once again murmurs and whispers rang out among the Pokemon, with several Eeveelutions, Growlithes, Poochyenas and Ninetales talking animatedly in hushed voices, while the rest merely whispered a few words before resuming their suspicious looks at Lancelot and Lunara. Some sounded positive to David, but most were merely curious.

" **Pack politics… always pack politics love."** Lucy whispered to him. **"Even while I was here before you became leader, politics have always been like this."**

The Elders looked at each other and nodded once more, exchanging silent conversations. **"Very well then… if you believe this is as you say it is, a trial about love… and as it is common knowledge as to why you are here… we will begin calling forth those to speak on your behalves, to tell us of who you are and what we should consider in our judgement."** Kuma barked. **"We know well of the act which you two have committed, an act reserved only for the Pack Leader. This is not the first time something like this has happened, but it is the first time in which a Pack Leader has requested we give you this 'trial', in the hopes that we may 'spare' you both death."**

" **This trial's charge upon you is high treason against the Pack Leader's authority, despite what you may claim… and should your guilt be proven, death or banishment upon pain of death will await you both!"** Isis decreed in a mournful tone for the entire pack to hear. **"Bring forth the first speaker!"**

At her declaration everyone turned to the entrance to the meeting hall, and the first Pokemon to enter was a Glalie, none other than Glitter, Lunara's 'mate'.

He floated before the elders wearing the same angry expression as he always did, but this time he looked furious.

" **This Lucario is like every other Pokemon, trying to take that which does 'not' belong to 'him'!"** He yelled for all the pack to hear. **"The decrees of the pack may guide him, and our Pack Leader's words may command him, but when it obviously 'inconveniences' him, his heart is more than willing to disobey for his own desires!"** He turned to glare at both Lunara and Lancelot now. **"For all his strength and boldness that he claims to have, he is more than willing to take which he wants for his own selfish reasons! This crime has no excuses, and I say he should not seek any favors. Our laws do not bend nor can they be broken without consequences, not even by our Pack Leader unless 'he' changes them! But this is one law, that not even 'he' can change!"**

With his tirade given, Glitter gave one final snarl before he began to move away to join the other Winter Reserve Guards, but stopped when Lancelot spoke up.

 **(I stand for my love of Lunara, a love which 'you' denied her all her life!)** He yelled with his head still held high. **(My pride forbids me from denying my own heart's desires, and nothing short of defying my master will keep me from betraying my heart! Lunara was not Pack Leader David's mate, and she did not love you even though you two were mated!)**

Lunara glanced between Lancelot and Glitter before she nodded in agreement. **"Our partnership was one of mutual need… there was no 'love' between us Glitter… you hardly ever 'spoke' to me unless we absolutely needed to…"** She said. **"Lancelot however… is happy to speak with me, about anything, whenever he is guarding the food with me. He offers his feelings to me freely, without asking anything more than my own in return."**

There was silence before Glitter, still glaring at them, was told by the elders to step away and let the next speaker enter and take his place. He moved over to the other Winter Reserve Guards and merely glared angrily at Lancelot and Lunara from then on.

" **The next speaker will enter now!"** Isis decreed.

Everyone turned to see Karen the Braixen walk in, her stick missing from her tail and her arms crossed as she walked into the center of the room to stand before the elders.

At his request David asked Karen to stand up for Lancelot, as she knew him the most during their time while traveling.

" **I know Lancelot quite well, and he has always stood beside me!"** She said for the pack to hear. **"He has faced against trainers who have tried to recapture me, and faced some of the most powerful wild Pokemon ever to roam Kalos without even flinching to protect me and himself, sometimes even by 'himself'! He has challenged insults to his personality and defended his chivalrous loyalty to our master with the same devotion you know him for!"**

She turned to look at Lancelot and Lunara now with a smirk on her face. **"I will admit, what he did is far from… normal… but can it be said that he is anything but true to his heart?"** She then turned to look at Glitter. **"You didn't exactly treat your mate fairly; he's only doing what you refused to do! While his actions may not be considered 'proper', they should not cost him or Lunara their lives."** Finally, she turned to look at the Elders with a stern expression on her face. **"For his service both to me, to this pack, and for my master both in this life and our last life, he has earned of you some mercy pack Elders!"**

Lancelot nodded in gratitude to Karen as she glanced back at him, and at his nod he spoke up once again. **"I have fought for my master, my friends, and for everyone I have ever met in my life… and I have fought hoping that like my master I will someday find love."** He declared with his head held high. **"Today I say… that I will fight for my love of Lunara if that is what it takes."**

With that Karen rolled her eyes and walked off to sit next to the other Pokemon in the pack, while everyone began talking again in hushed voices and whispers.

"He certainly has a flare for the theatrics." David said as he hoped Karen's arguments swayed the Elders to his side.

" **He's going to need every advantage just to stay in the pack."** Lucy said him. **"I want him to see our pup born!"**

" **Moi aussi chéri, me too."** Sophia barked nervously as Isis called forth the next speaker.

In walked a Ninetales, Natalia, whom and David's request was asked to speak on her opinion of Lancelot in the hopes that a normal member might sway the elders in his favor.

" **I love my pup 'David'… given to me by previous leader Scar, and for him I'd have gladly suffered to keep him safe from harm. He is the joy of my life and heart…"** She said as she stood before the elders. **"His namesake is the one who tempts me each time my heat comes around, and I gladly offer him the pleasure for what he has done for me… he gave my son the chance to live when I offered him the use of my body to abuse if he'd just spare his life. With no words needed on my part, he changed my opinion on humans and the Pack Leader's position!"**

She glanced up at David, Lucy and Sophia with an almost nervous smile on her face, but still with a look of pure conviction. **"My love for our Pack leader is as pure as Lancelot's is to Lunara, and it confounds me because I should not feel this way, yet I do. I long to be taken as Pack Leader David's mate, to sleep beside him as his two Prime Mates do each night, and I've never been so sure of anything."** She turned to look at Lancelot and Lunara with a warm smile on her face. **"So I can understand my fellow member's convictions, as he pursued the love of his life knowing that she was taken, for I too wish to pursue my newfound love despite the knowledge… that he is so very far out of my reach. As he has no doubt longed to have Lunara as his mate, I now long to bear the pups of our new Pack Leader, as I did when the previous Pack Leader mated me."**

At that everyone began talking in barely loud voices, David himself blushed at how outright Natalia was in admitting her feelings for him. He thought she was just going to speak in Lancelot's defense, not publicly admit she was in love with the Pack Leader.

" **Oh my, we seem to have competition Lucy."** Sophia barked in astonishment.

" **She better not get pregnant again until after 'I' give birth!"** Lucy growled. **"David, no more fucking that Ninetales unless she's in heat!"**

"Uh… Lucy?" He asked his Absol wife.

At his words she looked at him and shook her head, before awkwardly grinning back at him. **"Sorry… maternal instincts… we Absol females when we're pregnant don't like competition…"** She said sheepishly.

Everyone returned to Lancelot as they saw him 'crying' now, but his head was still held high as he spoke up to them.

 **(I cry out my love for Lunara for you all to hear…)** He said as calmly as he could, even as he held Lunara's own hand with his own. **(These tears are my love for Lunara, I do not cry easily, only my master's death has ever made me cry so much. But if the fact that I can at least hold Lunara's hand even while I stand trial before you all… then I can shed these tears I cry now, for they show how much I love her…)**

Natalia nodded and walked to sit among the rest of the pack, although Karen was almost glaring daggers at the other Fox Pokemon.

Isis coughed slightly to get everyone's attention again, before she spoke up once again. **"Our final speaker will step forth now!"**

Everyone turned and watched as a second Froslass now floated in, Crysta, the only Froslass to not have a mate in the Winter Reserve Guards.

Everyone went silent as she looked around at the crowd of Pokemon, clearly not liking the idea of being among so many she did not know.

" **Have no worry my fellow pack members of me showing any favoritism to either my fellow Winter Guard Lunara, or this foolish bodyguard Lancelot!"** She said with both a frown and a distasteful tone. **"For though Lunara is my figurative sister in our duties to this pack, she is now the source of my shame. To think one of our own would break one of the most fundamental laws of our pack. This Lancelot joined in a most sinful union with our most loyal and caring Guard."**

She turned to look at the Elders now with even more of a frown. **"For all his claim at virtue and loyalty, he has committed the highest of treason, by claiming 'another's mate'! Remember the fate of Scar's son Vicious, he attempted to claim the Pack Leader's second Prime Mate, and for this act as well as attacking our food reserves, he paid the price with his life! Lancelot is no exception to this rule, the law is clear in this, it declares this act punishable by death!"**

Everyone was silent at her declaration, before they began to talk among themselves once more.

" **Give me five minutes alone time with her…"** Karen muttered under her breath as Crysta floated to wait for the trial's end with the other winter guards.

Lancelot looked at the elders as they looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to speak up in response to Crysta's declaration.

" **Have you anything more to say Lancelot?"** Nayru asked gently.

" **I am afraid… I have said all that needs to be said."** He declared. **"I am no threat to our pack leader's authority… but can you explain how it is wrong for me to love a member of this pack, when she herself has been denied such love her entire life serving this very pack? I love Lunara… and to that end I took her as my mate, despite knowing that she already had a mate. But she herself said it, in her very own words, their union was not based on love, but of necessity… just so they both had someone to 'talk' to."** He looked over at Glitter with a piercing glare. **"And he did a poor job of doing 'that' as well…"**

Nayru and the Elders looked at each other before nodding in agreement.

" **Very well… we Elders have much to…"** Spinner began saying before he went silent.

It was no surprise as everyone began gasping, as Xerneas stepped forward from the crowd and stood before the elders with her full nine-foot height. She looked at the Elders with a warm but strong expression.

 **(Six lives perished one night, many years ago, six lives reborn into a pact with me thanks to my intervention…)** She recited wisely. **(Our fates are entwined, what happens to one is suffered by all… I plead this to you now Elders, for despite my age you are considered the wisest of your pack's members… Take care of your punishment in regards to Lancelot… for what you might inflict on one of us will be inflicted upon us all… including the unborn pup of Lucy. If this is a trial of love as Lancelot declares it is… then we must ask ourselves what is 'love' worth to us?)**

She turned to the pack now and resumed her declaration. **(A human sits before you, leader of your pack. He loves his Pokemon as much as any individual, to that end they have created a symbol of their love from their union. A pup will soon be born to us, the son of a human and Absol, if that does not define what love is, then perhaps Lancelot is indeed in the wrong… and he is merely doing this out of greed. But I ask you this… if a Human and a Pokemon can fall in love, become mated, and create a new life together, then why is it wrong for one who has been denied such feelings to be punished for fulfilling what her heart wants of her?)**

With that, Xerneas walked back to her spot and knelt down, awaiting the Elder's declaration.

" **Very well… as I was saying… we Elders have much to think about…"** Spinner said.

" **We shall return… with our verdict on this trial."** Jen barked as she and the other Elders slowly got up and left the meeting room to head to their private chamber, where they met with David often.

"That's it then… it's up to the Elders now to decide Lancelot's fate…" David whispered to his two Prime mates, watching the Elders leaving. "I hope for his sake they spare his life at least…"

" **Same here darling… we all do."** Sophia barked nervously.


	34. Chapter 30

_*There are many realities in this world…*_

 _*Of those realities this much is truest…*_

 _*I will not allow any of them to die… now that we are together…*_

=Chapter 30 – The Fight for Lunara=

(Isis' PoV)

" **Lancelot must be punished for what he has done!"** Kuma barked stubbornly. **"I will accept, what he has done may not 'pose' a threat to our leader's authority, what he did shows that he is a possible threat to our Pack Leader!"**

" **But we cannot ignore the facts that Lunara of the winter guards, appears to truly care for Lancelot."** Nayru declared just as stubbornly. **"It is obvious indeed, that Glitter's relationship with her was purely not founded or even existed for love. Though they are indeed mates, can we blame this Froslass and this Lucario for wishing to be with each other?"**

They had been arguing and debating the subject of Lancelot and Lunara's punishment for nearly an hour, talking and arguing, questioning and answering, and weighing the options before them.

She herself had said very little on the subject, for this was indeed how they, the Elders, often dealt with issues and debated them in their entirety.

First with Kuma being a stubborn Mightyena, fixed in traditional pack ways, wanted nothing less than to either execute Lancelot for his crime, or banish him to keep him from threatening their new Pack Leader's authority.

" **He still committed an act of high treason against the Pack Leader's authority!"** Kuma barked. **"This must be punished, or else others may take his example, and may undermine his authority in the future!"**

Then with Naryu, the Ninetales Elder acting as the counter stubborn voice, fixated on seeing the future changes. In their more recent discussions, she has been the most vocal about changes that went against what Kuma and everyone else knew.

" **Punished perhaps, but would you condemn that Froslass to a life of loneliness, of unloved days toiling in the winter reserves, day after day?"** Nayru countered. **"There is no shame in loving another, especially when it is true love! We should not punish Lancelot indeed for his 'crime' of love."**

Then the other two, Yin and Jen bringing everyone back to the issue, starting with Yin speaking on Kuma's side. While he spoke in favor of Kuma's plan though, he reminded them of the important facts the other two forgot about.

" **We cannot punish Lancelot as easily as other pack members, even if we were to punish him, for he is bound to the Life Giver Xerneas."** The aged Umbreon said calmly. **"If we were to harm him, we would harm Xerneas. That alone would be a crime against all of nature, to harm the Life Giver for the actions of a 'lesser' member! It would surely bring the wrath of the Alpha Pokemon upon us!"**

Followed by Jen, speaking out as a counter voice to Yin's. This time her voice spoke not for the punishment of Lancelot or Lunara, but to remind them all of the unborn pup within Lucy.

" **Not only that, but we cannot call ourselves Elders, speaking on behalf of and for the pack, if we condemn Lancelot while also condemning those who are connected to him!"** Jen the Furfrou Elder barked. **"To harm a full grown, matured Pokemon is one thing, but to harm a pup, yet unborn, while he still rests inside the egg within his mother? Can we call ourselves 'Elders' if we allow such an atrocity to pass?"**

Finally, Spinner would speak, being the only 'new' Elder, and as yet having no real relationship to any particular part of the pack, he alone had the calmest voice besides her own in their circle. Yet she heard in his voice that he too had his prejudices, namely that of upholding the law, regardless of the circumstances.

" **While it is unfavorable to perform, Lancelot and Lunara must be made to suffer!"** The Ariados Elder declared in a hoarse whisper. **"The two of them have defiled the laws of this pack, and to break the law demands punishment, else others will take similar actions in the future!"**

" **But we cannot punish them simply because a law says he threatens the Pack Leader's authority!"** Nayru said quickly. **"Lancelot himself admitted it, he would never threaten Pack Leader David in any way! He spent his whole life searching for him, a single human among thousands, across the whole of Kalos as he called it. He has sacrificed so much to find him, simply to be with him, and to protect him!"** She looked around at them all, glaring especially at Kuma. **"If that does not equate to loyalty, then I cannot fathom, even if I lived a hundred lives, what could possibly surpass it!"**

" **The fact still remains, he claimed another's mate for his own!"** Kuma barked back.

They continued to argue back and forth, repeating the same arguments that had been said a dozen times over. Three wanted to punish him, two wanted an alternative to punishing him, and neither side were willing to back down.

Only she had kept her council and voice silent, hearing all sides' arguments. But after yet another round of pointless arguing, she felt she had heard enough. Enough to make her own judgement and voice her own opinion.

" **I believe…"** She declared in a calm yet stern tone, one that instantly ended all talk among the other Elders. **"That no matter what we do here, it will affect our pack. What effect that is though, will be determined by the outcome of 'our' decision."**

Silence again as they all stared at her, before Naryu spoke up.

" **Speak your council Isis, for you have been silent this entire time…"** The Ninetails said.

She looked around at them silently, seeing nothing but darkness but knowing well that they were paying close attention to her words.

Of all the Elders, she was by far the oldest, the wisest, and most experienced of them all when it concerned 'anything' in the pack. Though she refrained often from declaring what direction their pack leader should take, or indeed 'any' individual, should she ever speak her mind nearly all who listened did as she suggested.

" **As has been stated, yes, Lancelot claimed Lunara as his mate, though she was already claimed as a mate by Glitter."** She said calmly. **"Yes, this is a terrible crime, yet though he should be punished, this is far from the usual cases of mate stealing that we have dealt with in the past. Lunara herself willingly accepted becoming the mate of Lancelot. To punish only 'Lancelot' for a crime that, by the very facts we know of, required 'two' to commit, is an injustice in and of itself."**

She glanced sightlessly around again, and yawned in tiredness, before speaking once more.

" **We know full well, by Lunara's words, that their union was not founded on love, or even the most basic foundation of mating; to procreate. It was founded for no other reason than simple communication between two pack members, communication that, according to even our Pack Leader, was very 'little' and less than 'welcomed'. Yet, though she was faithful and loyal to our pack, our pack leader, and even Glitter, she was willing to take such an enormous risk to her standing, even her very life… by accepting Lancelot's feelings and vows."**

She smiled proudly as she sensed that her words were starting to reach 'everyone' and not just Kuma and Spinner or even Yin.

" **We cannot, in good conscious, condemn Lancelot to death, or even banishment."** She said, reaching the point to her argument. **"To kill him would kill all those he is connected to, our Pack Leader, his two Prime Mates, his unborn son, his other Bodyguard, the Water Guardian, and of course the Life Giver Xerneas. This is atrocious, and the thought should be banished upon even thinking it. We have just become used to having a human as our Pack Leader, most of the pack thinks positively of him, while others have no opinion, if we end their lives for the mistake of one it would destroy our pack!"**

She glanced again around at them all, letting her words sink before continuing.

" **Likewise, we must not banish him, else we risk alienating those who have come to respect and admire him, most especially those close to him. The seed of 'grudge' and 'hate', run deepest within family, and his 'family' will no doubt bear that grudge for centuries should they live that long, which they will. They will eventually come to loathe us, perhaps to the point of abandonment. They journeyed over a life time to be reunited, they will not let something like 'banishment' from our pack keep them separated for long… and we cannot lose our pack leader at this critical point when we risk a possible pack war in the near future!"**

" **But what are we to do then?"** Kuma barked, albeit in a softer tone. **"You cannot expect us to simply let his crime go 'unpunished'?"**

She shook her head. **"No Kuma, he must still pay the price for his 'decision', but we must be careful in how we make him pay."** She said wisely. **"What I offer is another option… one which will truly determine the cause of this 'trial's' purpose."**

" **And what purpose is that?"** Spinner asked.

She smiled and glanced again at them all.

" **How far is one willing to go for love?"** She stated.

(David's PoV)

He sat in silence with the rest of the pack, waiting for the Elders to finish their deliberations concerning Lancelot. All the while he was trying to stay awake and keep feeling within his legs from having to sit for nearly an hour now. Many of the pack members were getting hungry and thirsty, others simply wanted to get up from their positions and stretch. Yet none of them moved so long as 'he' remained where he was.

Yet while everyone simply sat waiting, one pair did not have the luxury 'he' and the others had.

Lancelot and Lunara still stood and floated where they were, with Lunara shifting her glance around trying to stay positive, while Lancelot stared intently at him.

 _*It's the only way he can stay calm, by drawing strength from me.*_ He thought to himself, knowing full well that his Lucario was only worried about Lunara's well-being. _*They can't hurt him, like Xerneas said, not without hurting the rest of us.*_

Meanwhile Sophia was busying herself by scratching her fur, and Lucy was examining her claws while also licking his cheek every few minutes. Across the room he saw Karen was still giving the suspicious glare to Natalia, who was sheepishly trying to avoid the gaze of said Braixen. And behind everyone else in the rear of the pack, Xerneas knelt and sat patiently waiting.

Their wait ended moments later when the elder Isis appeared, followed closely by the rest of the elders. Instantly everyone tensed up, watching the six elders entering at their slow pace, before each took their position in the semicircle, surrounding Lancelot and Lunara.

" **We have reached… our judgement… and decision."** Isis declared softly. **"In our judgement, both sound and wise… we cannot punish Lancelot for his crime against the Pack Leader's authority, because his crime is indeed not against the Pack Leader's authority. The reason for this… is because he does not pose a threat, at least in our judgement, to the Pack Leader's authority over us."**

" **Indeed, as Elder Isis has said, we see no reason to execute Lancelot or Lunara for their act…"** Naryu began saying, before her voice hesitated. **"However, nor can we simply 'forgive' them, for this act of betrayal… and indeed it 'is' an act of betrayal, regardless of what may be said."**

At that everyone's eyes focused on Lancelot and Lunara, who were both staring at the elders now. Lunara looked like she was about to faint from fear, while Lancelot's face looked like it was carved of stone, as he hid his emotions very well.

" **In our judgement, we find Lancelot 'guilty' of committing an act, reserved only for the Pack Leader."** Kuma barked sternly. **"Whether he is a threat to Pack Leader David, is irrelevant, what he has done cannot be pardoned."**

" **As for Lunara, you too are guilty of breaking your loyalty to your 'mate' Glitter…"** Yin declared. **"Regardless of your past services to this pack, what you have done is still a betrayal. Thus we cannot simply forgive what you have done…"**

" **However… execution is out of the question… and the same goes for banishment…"** Spinner declared.

" **If we were to kill you, Lancelot, we would kill not only our pack leader, but also the others that stand with him, including an unborn pup within the First Prime Mate."** Jen barked. **"Likewise, to kill you would also kill the Life Giver, Xerneas… to kill Xerneas, is in itself a crime that we cannot condone."**

" **But… as Lunara said, her being mated to Glitter was one not based on 'love', but instead based purely on necessity for 'companionship', a companionship that was 'rarely' reciprocated or demonstrated."** Nayru said. **"So in truth, not only are you both 'guilty' for your crimes… but Glitter is also 'guilty' for causing this 'incident' to occur."**

" **Therefore… we Elders have decided, a 'different' punishment is in order."** Isis declared now, looking over to the Winter Reserve Guards. **"If you wish to keep Lunara as your mate, or should I say, keep her and 'stay' in the pack Lancelot… then you and Glitter must battle before the whole of the pack, under specific 'rules' that we will lay out for you. The winner will determine the loser's and Lunara's fate. There will be no negotiation in this decision… not even the Pack Leader can change this. Or you can leave here with her, and never return…"** She now looked to Lancelot and stared directly at him with her blind eyes, as if she could truly see him. **"Do you understand our terms… Lancelot?"**

David turned to look at his Lucario, and watched Lancelot nod proudly and bravely. **(I will fight for Lunara… even as I've fought for my master. I will fight, no matter the conditions you set forth…)**

With that declaration made, Isis nodded with a proud smile. **"Remember those words Lancelot… for we offered you an alternative, an 'easy' way out."**

(Twenty minutes later, Xerneas' Chamber)

"So let me get this straight, not only do you have to fight Glitter in single combat Lance, but you also have to do it, without the use of 'any' of your special powers or abilities?" He asked his Lucario as they sat in Xerneas' chamber.

The only one not among them was Terrance because he had too much difficulty moving on land, but he too had heard the conditions set forth by the Elders, and he was no less worried for their Lucario friend than all of the others, aside from Xerneas. They were only allowed to spend an hour with him before the fight, once the twins called for him, they would leave her chamber and go to the arena where the fight would be held.

 **(It is what it is.)** Lancelot said to him calmly.

" **It is what it is, are you 'insane' or something Lance?"** Karen shouted in frustration. **"No Power Up Punch, no Aura Sphere, no Close Combat, none of your moves besides 'Detect'? Are you crazy for accepting these terms? Of all of us, you're supposed to be the calmest and collected, even 'I' wouldn't even think of tying my paws behind my back and blindfolding myself like you have!"** She spun around and glared at him. **"And I'm the one who nearly 'Drowned' herself just to get our master in between her legs!"**

" **We don't need a reminder you 'luxure rempli firefox'!"** Sophia barked worriedly. **"Honestly…"**

" **Yea, could have gone through the day without you mentioning 'that'…"** Lucy replied as she sat next to him, smiling softly as he rubbed her stomach.

"But Karen has a point, Lance, why would you accept these terms?" He asked him.

 **(It doesn't matter the condition master, I 'will' defeat Glitter…)** He replied calmly.

" **Are you even 'LISTENING'?"** Karen yelled. **"You have 'NOTHING' to work with, nothing! Against a Glalie who will still have 'all' of his moves, what are you going to do, 'STRUGGLE' your way to victory? That's the Magikarp way to win!"**

"Why would the elders even force such a restriction on you Lancelot?" He asked.

" **Yea, I mean your practically not being allowed to throw a punch! What in Lumiose City are they thinking?"** Sophia asked.

Lancelot remained quiet before glancing at him with a half-smile. **(Because they know how strong I am, restricting my abilities to this degree is the only way Glitter would even have a chance against me in a fight.)** He said proudly. **(To be honest, I consider these 'restrictions' a 'compliment'.)**

" **Ugh…"** Karen growled in frustration, placing her paws on her face and shaking her head. **"Surrounded by low leveled 'Scatterbugs'…"** She muttered before looking at him. **"No offense master… but this whole 'restriction' on Lance drives me nuts. No self-respecting Pokemon would accept these terms under 'any' circumstances at the competitive level."**

"It's alright Karen, I understand your frustration, believe me." He said, feeling her frustration through their link. "Look Lancelot, I know you have confidence in winning, but are you 'sure' you can beat Glitter with such a handicap? You're strong, nobody doubts that, but you've never, ever, had to fight under such conditions, you don't even have your Mega Form to rely on."

At those words Lancelot turned to look at him and glared determinedly. **(I will fight, and I will win. I 'will' find a way, I don't know how but I will find a way to win against Glitter!)** He said. **(It is not just 'my' life on the line, but Lunara's as well, including all of yours! Glitter may spare 'me' for the reasons the Elders can't, but he may just kill Lunara, and I will 'die' to protect her!)** Then he turned to look at Xerneas and glared even more determinedly at her. **(Even if I have to sacrifice 'everything' to protect her…)**

Xerneas did not glare back, nor did she even acknowledge what the Lucario said, instead she turned and looked at David with her calm, gentle eyes. **(Know this, no matter the outcome of this 'personal' fight… one which I do not approve of… none of us will suffer death tonight.)** She said politely. **(Even if I must 'restrain' one of us my master… in order to prevent that fate from happening.)**

 **(You think you could 'stop' me from protecting someone I love?)** Lancelot growled.

 **(This fight is of your doing, the outcome is yours to decide, but I will not allow 'us' to suffer for 'your mistake'.)** She replied politely. **(Do not forget how you are all here to begin with… you all 'died' to rejoin with your trainer in another life. You sacrificed an entire lifetime to have a second chance to be with him. Love is a noble and worthy cause to fight for, but do not let 'love' be the reason you let those around you suffer for. We are all bound together by our pact, what one suffers we all suffer, so your pain will be our pain, and your suffering will be our suffering.)**

 **(So it is 'wrong' for me to love someone, but it's alright for my master to have multiple wives and suffer 'no' repercussion?!)** Lancelot now said, his voice growing mentally louder and angrier by the second. **(You mean I am not allowed to love a 'single' creature in the world, but he can have any 'female' he wants whenever he pleases? Lucy has waited two life times to be with David, Sophia went from being his 'pet' to being his second wife, Karen fantasized about him throughout our years of travel, even 'Terrance' has a wife and family, and now David is going to become a father! How come everyone else gets to have someone just for them in their heart, but I am left alone despite being surrounded by my friends and trainer? Why must I be the one in our pact to have nobody to love in their life?)**

There was a tense silence in the room as everyone sat and waited for Xerneas to respond, then everyone felt Lancelot feeling regret for his words and actions.

 **(I'm… sorry everyone… I didn't mean…)** He said, looking down at the ground now in shame.

"It's alright Lancelot, I understand." David told him quietly. "I didn't honestly think this far ahead when I accepted Yara and Nera's request to become the Pack Leader. I only took it to save Lucy and… well keep everyone at peace here."

" **Yea… what David said, you have every right to be angry Lancelot…"** Lucy said quietly as well. **"I was so happy to become pregnant at long last, with David being the father of my pup… but if anyone here deserves to have someone in their love life, it is you."**

" **Oui, what Lucy said, if anyone deserves a 'amoureux' in their life it is you."** Sophia barked in agreement. **"You journeyed the longest and hardest of anyone here to find our maître."**

Everyone looked at Karen now, but she shrugged her shoulders sheepishly. **"I'm sorry I have a thing for a human, how was I to know he had a crush on me for a while?"** She said with an apologetic smile.

Once again silence reigned as everyone sat there, yet minutes later a member of the pack called for him, saying that it was time.

(Lancelot's PoV)

Lancelot watched his trainer and his fellow Pokemon team members leaving Xerneas' chamber, leaving him alone with the legendary as he was to wait to be escorted by her. Knowing he only had a few moments before it was time to fight, he began to mentally prepare himself, and think of 'some' strategy to fight Glitter without the use of his powers.

 _ ***No Power Up Punch, no Close Combat, no Aura Sphere… only my Detect ability, and what strength my bond with David can give me…***_ He thought to himself. _***This will not be easy… but then again, when has my life 'ever' been easy?***_

It took him almost his entire second lifetime to find his way back to his true master, his Mega partner, for years before he met Karen he had been alone. He had journeyed alone, fought alone, and had to take care of himself alone.

 **(And yet, you are not alone anymore, so why do you think you are alone now?)** Xerneas asked him warmly.

He turned to look at the legendary, and saw that she was looking at him with a gentle expression on her face.

 **(Xerneas, what I said earlier, I didn't mean it… I wasn't thinking clearly.)** He said apologetically.

She merely nodded and stood up, indicating that it was time to leave. **(You do not have to apologize, but you should consider your own words carefully.)** She said wisely, now not looking at him. **(You are not the one in our pact, who has no one to love in their life. After all, you have found someone you are willing to do anything for, besides 'us'.)**

Quiet shock took over his mind as he contemplated what Xerneas was saying, and once again felt ashamed of himself. He had completely forgotten that Xerneas had no one to love herself. Yet she was forced to experience, observe, and feel all of 'their' feelings of love, from David and Lucy's knowledge about becoming parents, to now his feelings of finally having Lunara as his mate.

She felt everything they felt, and yet none of it was 'hers'.

" **I… I'm… so sorry…"** He said simply.

Once again instead of acshe simply looked at him, and beckoned him to follow.

As they left he followed behind Xerneas toward the large group of Pokemon, Growlithes, Mightyenas, Poochyenas, various Eeveelutions and Eevees, Vulpix and Ninetails, Houndooms and Houndours, the Sevipers and Ariados, all crowded together and forming a large circle. In the center of that circle was a single Glalie and the Espeon Elder 'Isis'. Off to the side and as 'far' away from the crowd was a very small group of nine or ten Pokemon, Glalies and Froslass, all staying as far away as they physically could while 'still' being able to watch the match.

One particular Froslass, Lunara, was being guarded by Karen and the twins, both to protect her from the pack until the fight's end, and to keep her from fleeing.

At their approach, the pack began to part for them and back away to give him and Glitter more space to fight.

He took a calming breath as Xerneas stopped walking, allowing him to proceed into the space allotted for their fight.

 _ ***Calm yourself Lancelot… you've battled Glalies before, this is no different than 'any' of those other times.***_ He thought quietly. _***This may be a life and death fight, but you've faced battles where your freedom was at stake before! You've faced trainers who wanted to capture you multiple times, and you won each time!***_ He looked over at Glitter and remained as focused as he could, trying to ignore the slight gremlin that was 'fear' coursing through his mind.

 _ ***He's not properly trained, he has never battled like you have, he is a 'WILD' Pokemon, untrained, undisciplined, and has no strategy behind his actions. You on the other hand, have gone through 'two' lifetimes of training! You have battled Team Flare, faced Mega Evolved Pokemon, traveled nearly the whole region 'twice' over, saved the world, been reborn to journey the whole region 'again' to battle countless Pokemon and Trainers. And what has 'he' done, protect a few underground caverns from food thieves?***_

Then a counter voice in his mind said quite plainly, _ **'But you've never had to do all that, using only your 'Detect' ability, have you?'**_

As he reached the center the Elder looked at him with her blind eyes, and not for the first time did he question if she was truly 'blind', or still had some semblance of sight.

" **Very well… we can begin now."** She stated to him quietly. **"Before you fight, I will use my psychic powers on you, to prevent you from using your powers and abilities. Only your natural ability to Detect will remain unaffected."**

He nodded and watched her eyes begin to glow purple, and then felt as if his very strength had been sapped from him.

He felt so very weak, but still he recovered quickly as he knew just how 'vulnerable' he was now without his moves.

" **The match begins, as soon as I leave the space, the winner of this fight will claim the life of Lunara, and the loser suffers the fate the winner decides on."** Isis declared.

At that she turned and began to slowly walk away.

He looked at Glitter and glared at him, before lifting only a fraction of his lip to reveal his sharp teeth. **"I'm glad we're having this fight 'now'… when I can freely fight you without feeling guilty."** He whispered. **"I never forgot how you treated my master when we first visited the Winter Reserves."**

Glitter only glared back while Isis nearly reached the pack members surrounding them. **"If your 'master' is willing to tolerate such an insolent, thieving member like you, it's a wonder he still has a 'prime mate' to him. Stealing my mate from me, I'm surprised he hasn't executed you yet to prevent you from stealing 'his' mate."** He countered.

Just as Isis reached the pack members watching, he began gathering his strength again. **"Listen here Glitter… you can say whatever you want about me… but don't you ever… 'ever'…"** He said loudly enough for the whole pack to hear. **"Don't EVER… disrespect my master like that… in front… of… ME!"**

At that exact moment, Isis stepped past a Growlithe and a Vulpix, and Lancelot instantly went into a fast run toward the Glalie.

He didn't have any of his powers, but he still had access to his natural physical strength, meaning his speed. He also had access to his Detect ability, and moments later had to jump to the side to avoid a powerful Ice Beam that Glitter sent against him.

Continuing his charge, he ran forward and threw his first 'punch' at the Glalie, followed by a series of painful kicks as he tried to harm the Face Pokemon through his protective 'ice' armor. Unfortunately for his physical strength, without the use of his abilities, they were only met with the powerful sturdy ice armor's resistance. He felt as if his legs and paws had hit a Steelix's body without any protection or power behind them.

" **Ugh…"** He groaned as he used his momentum to jump away, but just as he did Glitter responded with yet another Ice Beam, and he was forced to dodge it like he did before.

He landed hard and charged right at Glitter yet again, and threw another punch that only did more harm to him than Glitter.

The Glalie responded by opening his mouth and releasing a powerful stream of Ice in a huge wave, a move he recognized as 'Sheer Cold'.

Thinking quickly, he dodged it as well, leaping high over Glitter as he made his move and threw another series of punches and kicks, trying to find a way to damage his opponent.

All Glitter did was turn around and throw another Ice Beam at Lance, and this one made contact with his leg, coating it in a thin sheet of ice. He shook his leg quickly and broke the ice off, but the effect had forced him to slow down, giving Glitter time to use another Ice Beam against him, this time hitting Lancelot in the arm.

The ice itself didn't hurt very much, but the fact that he was being hurt was not good for him. Without the use of his powers all he could do was throw weak hits against his opponent, hits that were causing him just as much pain as they were Glitter. The only difference was that Glitter had a protective shield of Ice surrounding his body to act as a buffer.

He may have been part steel type, but he was just as much flesh and blood as many other Pokemon. His body would only take so much punishment.

" **But I can't quit…"** He groaned as he leapt up and charged at Glitter yet again, determined to protect not only 'his' life, but Lunaras as well. **"I have not… come this far… to 'die' here!"**

He threw himself at Glitter and dodged yet another Ice Beam, and followed up his rush with a fierce pummeling of punches and kicks, trying to deal as much damage as he possibly could with all of his might.

After a few seconds of trying to break through Glitter's defense, all he received for his effort was the Glalie firing an Ice Beam at point blank in the chest, and shoving him off with a head butt.

He painfully landed in a heap, several feet away but wearily forced himself onto his feet, all the while many members of the pack gasped and cried out in surprise. He looked up to see Glitter glaring at him with a smug grin on his face.

" **So this is the 'chivalrous' Lucario that 'stole' my mate from me?"** He asked. **"Here you are, a 'tamed' Pokemon, fighting like a savage, 'wild' one."**

Lancelot growled as he got up, his leg muscles starting to scream in protest, and his arm muscles straining to move normally.

" **I… am not… a 'tamed'… Pokemon."** He growled. **"I am a… 'trained' Pokemon!"**

He tried to charge forward but Glitter responded with his dash by head butting him once again, knocking him to the floor. The instant he was on the ground Glitter used his Ice Beam yet again, freezing his arms and legs into blocks of ice.

Using what strength that he still had, he broke his shackles and tried leaping away, but as he did he slipped on the Ice that was now beginning to coat the field. As he slipped he overcompensated and twisted his left ankle, causing him to fall face first into the floor.

" **Ugh!"** He screamed in pain, forcing his leg to stand properly as best it could.

" **Why should 'I' have to kill you, you're doing it for me."** Glitter said smugly.

He began gasping for breath, trying to regain some strength, but he knew that what he had left was not going to win the fight. At the rate he was going and damaging Glitter, it would take him 'three' life times to win.

 _ ***I need… to win this… in one hit.***_ He thought quietly. _***I need to hit him… with everything… I've got left in one… single blow!***_

As he moved into an aggressive stance his vision glanced over to the crowd of Pokemon. Many of them he didn't know personally, but as he looked at one pair of Mightyena, one of them was Fang, and next to him was Tenda, his no longer pregnant mate. Around them were several Poochyena Pups that were their 'previous' litter while the newest litter was with Gentaal.

As he saw Fang he remembered their first encounter face to face, and that memory gave him an idea.

Thanks to his ability to sense auras, he sensed Glitter attacking, and dodged an Ice Shard attack at the last second, and instantly went into as fast a sprint as he could manage with his twisted leg. He began circling Glitter, ignoring the pain in his leg, moving faster and faster, pushing his leg muscles to their limits as he did.

 _ ***I need more speed… more speed!***_ He thought furiously as he grimaced in pain. _***I need… to go as… fast as I can!***_

As he felt his legs beginning to buckle under the strain, and seeing that he had reached as fast as he could, he turned sharply and headed toward the closest wall, racing 'through' the pack members who parted as quickly as they could.

He ignored his leg muscles screaming in agony now as he used even 'more' strength to start running up the wall, letting the flaming sensation in his knees go unchecked as he poured everything he had left into this final desperate move. Just as he reached the ceiling, every member of the pack gasped in awe and amazement as he began running again on the ceiling, but he was more focused on Glitter's stunned face as he desperately tried to maintain his momentum.

 _ ***Just… a little… more!***_ He thought painfully.

Then, just as he felt his speed beginning to waver, he threw the last ounce of strength his legs had in them and shoved away from the ceiling of the Lake Chamber, and flung himself at Glitter. He let his momentum and gravity propel him toward his opponent, and covered his face just as he reached Glitter.

What happened after was a shade of darkness, as he couldn't comprehend anything after he hit Glitter.

Later after the fight, David explained to him that right after he smashed into Glitter, he had wearily gotten up, his body shaking and jittering frantically. And then proceeded to assault the Glalie with furious punches to him, as if his body were on automatic.

The next thing he remembered clearly, was panting heavily as he stood over Glitter, with his muscles barely feeling anything but 'pain' and registering only a burning sensation throughout his body. He was in so much pain that he was surprised his legs still possessed the strength to keep himself standing.

He looked around at the pack as a whole, and gave only one single indication of his standing.

He growled at them all, daring anyone to challenge him.

" **The fight is decided!"** Isis declared. **"The victor… is Lancelot."**

The Espeon elder walked forward with Lunara behind her.

" **As you have won, Lunara's fate is yours to decide… as is Glitter's fate."** She said calmly. **"You may kill Glitter, or allow him to remain, or you may choose another fate. So what will you decide Lancelot?"**

He looked down at Glitter as Lunara floated over and held his paw, taking a very submissive position as she did.

He knew deep down that she was acting this way only because it was probably some 'pack' custom, but he ignored it for the moment as he contemplated Glitter's fate.

" **Lunara is 'my' mate…"** He said proudly. **"She is to remain… as head of the Winter Reserve Guards… she is to keep her previous station and standing. Glitter… may remain there as well, and assist Lunara in leading them, 'under her'."** He then glanced at the Espeon Elder with a tired expression. **"If any of the Winter Reserve Guardians object to this… they may challenge 'me' to overthrow my… decision."**

She smiled and nodded. **"Our Pack Leader has decreed any decision you make regarding Lunara and Glitter is law by 'his' word… so you have said, so he shall say, and so it is law."**

He nodded in understanding, and held Lunara's hand tightly, before he finally let his muscles rest as he collapsed from the strain.

 _ ***I could sleep… for a year… after this…***_ He thought tiredly, feeling Lunara holding him up as best she could.

But as he watched her leaning toward him, he smiled wearily and felt her lips against his.

 _ ***But… she is worth it…***_

Indeed, he thought to himself, she was indeed worth all of this effort, he finally had someone to love in his life.


	35. Chapter 31

_*Winter brings the cold breath of death…*_

 _*Spring brings the warmth of new life…*_

 _*This is the circle of life throughout the world…*_

=Chapter 31 – The Pokemon and the Human=

(Scar's PoV)

" **It's been over a month since my son left, I demand that you let me lead several of your Linoones to determine what is taking him so long!"** Scar barked in the middle of the pack's meeting chamber.

" **The Linoones you sent with your son were sent 'against' my better judgement, or my permission!"** Flare, the one eyed Houndoom growled back. **"Their fate, is their own, as is the fate of your son Vicious. He said so himself when he told me about you, should he be caught back in your previous pack's territory, he would be killed on sight. What befalls him, is his fate… and I have no interest in wasting more of my pack's members time on this petty endeavor of yours."**

Around him many other Houndooms, Houndours, Linoones, and Growlithes, and any other members of the pack were in full agreement, muttering among themselves in low whispers.

" **Petty, don't you see what I want to do… if we take control of my former pack, we can combine our packs together and take control over the other packs surrounding their territory!"** He declared.

" **Control over all of the packs… is a prospect we have considered…"** A second low whisper said from above.

Scar looked up and glared into the piercing glare of two red eyes, which came from a Crobat hanging upside down from the high ceiling of the underground cave.

" **However… by my estimation, such control over such a vast territory is near impossible for even 'us' to achieve."** He continued, unfurling all four of his wings to flap over to Flare and sit there flapping in mid-air. **"We already have enough difficulties controlling the territory we have along Route 10, our numbers allow us to control this territory, but our borders are too wide for us to expand. Our pack's fighters are constantly contesting our food sources with other wild Pokemon that are 'not' under our leader's control."**

" **Furthermore…"** A soft voice said as a female Houndoom besides Flare, a very 'pregnant' female houndoom with soft eyes and even softer looking horns. **"Our actions have not gone unnoticed. Our scouts report that Pack Delica has increased the number of sentries along its border closest to us. The actions your son took to 'weaken' your previous pack, has increased the strength of the surrounding packs we would need to go through, before even 'reaching' this Pack you are so desperate to control."**

At that everyone began muttering more, and he heard whispers about how he might be 'scheming' something that the leader isn't aware of.

" **Quite right Nova…"** Flare said proudly. **"Your words speak my very thoughts on this matter. Until something 'drastic' happens, I see no reason to continue hostilities toward this pack so far away from us, that even thinking about it would be a waste of time."** He took a deep breath and released a short but bright Flamethrower into the air, signaling the end of the meeting. **"You are all dismissed!"**

As everyone began leaving, with the Pack Leader Flare and his prime mate going to their room for a round of love making, which he 'knew' would take place cause she playfully nibbled his ear as she got up, the Crobat from above flew over to him and stopped him from leaving with the others.

" **What do you want?"** He growled as politely as he could.

" **Watch your tone 'Scar'…"** He responded just as politely as Scar did. **"You may have been a member of this pack years ago, but do not think that you have any more power here than you did before. The next time you 'lie' to our warriors about their Pack Leader's orders… I 'will' inform him of your treachery, and you will be killed on sight!"**

" **I thought we agreed over controlling 'all' of the packs and creating one super pack."** He responded.

" **Yes, and that is the only reason I allowed your 'treachery' to take place."** The Crobat hissed. **"But make no mistake, I also know when too much territory control is 'too much'. What I told my friend Flare, is the truth… we have no need to extend our borders, when they are already stretched far enough."**

" **Well what about my son! He has yet to return!"** Scar demanded.

" **He's your problem… not ours…"** The Crobat whispered calmly, before flapping away.

Scar just growled angrily as he glared at the back of the Crobot, before walking off to one of the lower passages in the pack's massive den.

It's been months since Scar has arrived here in his old Pack, and while he was expecting a somewhat warm welcome, he did not realize just how powerful the pack that he used to call his own had become. It was five times more powerful than the pack he had controlled, until that 'human' stole everything from him.

The respect he had as Leader, the fear the neighboring packs had for him, and probably the most important of all, the females he used to mate with regularly.

However, because his pack was so large, controlled such a vast territory, and had so many Pokemon, it also had Pokemon of all kinds in it.

Including his personal favorite type… infertile females.

It was common knowledge among all Pokemon, that every female's greatest pride and what they always hope to do, was to give birth to the next generation of their species. So, for those 'unlucky few' who could not breed, what little appeal they would have had normally was lost.

Most of these females would have been unwelcomed and kicked out from his old Pack when he was there before being captured. But after Flare took control eighteen years ago, he had made a decree that allowed these types of females to remain in his pack.

However, to please 'all' of his pack's members, and to prevent civil strife from breaking apart Pack Flare, these females had to permit any male, or 'female'… the use of their bodies for mating whenever 'they' wanted.

There was also a section full of infertile 'males' who were in the same position as the females, what pride they had would be gone but there were some females… and even males, who actually enjoyed mating with such Pokemon. So, the decree extended to them, but he avoided those males because he hates them greatly.

But it was the females was why he was heading down to a section of the underground den, which was lit by super headed rocks. This section was where these infertile females lived when they weren't performing duties assigned to them by the Pack Leader or his Prime Mate.

After he entered the 'pleasure passage' as he called it, he saw a few Pokemon, mostly Houndooms and Mightyenas walking around, and heard distant moans of pleasure from some of the chambers dug into the rock.

" **Oh yes… right there… oh yes take me~!"** He heard one female moaning happily from one chamber.

" **Ahhh… oh Arceus… I love you so much… harder, harder~!"** Another female in another chamber was yipping.

He ignored them as he saw a female Mightyena with white fur instead of her usual black walking into her chamber far ahead, and by the looks of it she was alone. Grinning to himself, he decided to use her to let off some 'steam'.

A Mightyena with white fur instead of black fur, meant only one thing, she was an Albino, and couldn't breed. She was infertile…

Moments later he walked into the Mightyena's chamber and saw she was taking a quick drink from her chamber's water source. He barked to let himself be known, and she looked at him for a moment before gaining a look of fear.

 _ ***Oh… she's worried…***_ He thought to himself.

" **Can I help you sir?"** She asked nervously.

" **I think you know why I'm here."** He said warmly.

The Mightyena female however, looked fearful as he said that, looking between him and the entrance to her chamber. **"Uh… I know the decree says I must if any male or female wants to… but can you please pick another female?"** She asked hopefully, backing away a few steps, even as he stepped closer. **"I'm sure there's another female who would be a better choice than me!"**

He however grinned and continued to approach her until she had backed into a corner.

" **T… there's a female Houndoom in the c…chamber next to me… she's very popular!"** She tried to say, but he had pounced on her and forced her to turn around, exposing her rear to him and his already hardened member.

" **Stop… trying to… get out… of fulfilling your 'DUTY'!"** He barked as he forcibly shoved himself into her, even as she tried clawing her way away.

" **AHHH!"** She screamed painfully.

He grinned as he felt her tightness, and began pumping in and out of her without pause.

Even as a small line of red left her tight pussy.

" **IT HUUUURTS!"** She screamed.

Her scream reverberated around the chamber room for a few seconds before she began weeping pitifully, lowering her front half and submitting to him, unable to fight back. **"Please… not… so rough…"**

" **First… time huh?"** He barked happily, before pumping even harder into her, enjoying how tight and warm she was to him. **"Now you're a 'real' female… almost at least!"**

She however continued to whimper silently, looking at him with tear stained eyes, her fierce look her species has almost nonexistent as she was dominated by him.

" **Stop… please… it hurts…"** She pleaded, but he continued to ignore her. **"Be… gentle… please!"**

He continued to pant and moan as he shoved in and out of her pussy, ignoring her pleas and cries for mercy, even ignoring her moaning incoherent words to herself.

" **Wanted… first… with him…"** She moaned sadly at one point, but he silenced her by fucking even harder, causing her to gasp in pain and mixed pleasure. **"I wanted… with him…"**

" **Oh stop it you, your… infertile!"** He barked as he felt pressure building up in his dick. **"What… male… in his right mind… would love you!"**

She opened one eye and looked at him sadly with it, tears streaming down as he knew what she was thinking.

She had no choice, she couldn't resist him, if she resisted the pack would kick her out and she'd be dead on her own. It was a dangerous world in the wild for a 'pack centered' Pokemon like Mightyena. She needed the Pack to survive, and she knew that this was a decree by her Pack Leader, she 'had' to obey it.

" **Now… stop… your complaining… and enjoy it… I'm about to release!"** He barked as eh rammed her tight pussy harder. **"Oh… by Arceus… you are TIGHT~! Oh, yea… get ready… I'm about to come!"**

She nodded and whimpered in pain, and moments later he shoved as far into her as he could, and came inside the womb of the once virgin female Mightyena.

His knot expanded and tied the two of them together in a lock, and he panted for several seconds while he held himself over the female. Even as she gasped and cried, he felt her passage tighten around him, electing a moan of pleasure from him.

" **Oh yea… that was what I needed~!"** He whispered softly.

She looked at him and glared, not just with silent rage but with disdain. He however grinned back at her as he began to catch his breath.

" **What… we aren't done yet…"** He said gleefully as his dick hardened again. **"That was just the first round…"**

Her eyes widened as he pulled as far out as his swollen knot would allow, and rammed back into her hard.

Oh, how he 'loved' fucking first timers, whenever he fucked a female when it was her first time, he felt like he had energy for days.

=Half an hour Later=

He left the Mightyena's chamber with a satisfied look on his face. His knot had finally calmed down after the fifth round with her, but that release was exactly what he needed after the day he had.

Now he had to get to his night watch at one of the various entrances to the den.

As he walked he passed by a pair of Pack Members, a Mightyena and a Houndoom, both of whom had just entered this 'pleasure section' of the den.

" **I'm off to see Lina, I need a good time after suffering all those water guns from Wingull Raids."** The Houndoom barked tiredly. **"Who're you seeing Ming?"**

" **I'm going to visit Adiva… I'm going to make her my mate."** Ming the Mightyena barked happily. **"She's been waiting for me to make the move, so I'm finally making my move! She's been saving her first time for me she said…"**

" **You're taking an infertile female as your mate… wow, you must really love her!"** The Houndoom said, sounding very impressed. **"No other male I know wants an 'infertile' as their mate. What do you see in her?"**

" **She's so gentle… and so nice…"** He said as Scar walked past. **"She just cheers me up after a hard day, even when the leader got mad at me for losing those berry trees that one time… she just really makes my day better."**

As they walked on Scar thought back about the name, Adiva.

 _ ***Huh… wasn't that the name of that female?***_ He asked himself.

Then he shook his head and walked on, not caring about some infertile female.

But as he left, he wondered whatever happened to his favorite Mightyena female that he and Vicious used to fuck every night for two weeks straight.

She hasn't been seen in weeks, not since Vicious failed to return.

Not that he didn't want to deprive his son of enjoying the Mightyena, but he wondered where she went.

(The Next Day)

Scar walked down the entrance to the den after his morning duty of watching for intruders and for the night patrol to return and change positions with the day patrol.

He has not had to perform such 'routine' duties since he was kicked from his position as Leader by the 'traitors' Yara and Nera.

Thinking about his old pack made him seethe in his mind, and thinking about those twins made him angry.

 _ ***It's all their fault!***_ He thought furiously, sidestepping a Houndoom on their way for patrol. _***If they had just obeyed me… but no, instead they let a 'human' take over 'my' pack! By now that 'human' has probably ruined all I had done…***_

" **Stewing again are we 'Scar'?"** A bored voice called out.

He looked to his right and saw another Houndoom glaring at him, but unlike other Houndooms this one's horns were broken in separate places, giving him an almost 'demonic' look. However, instead of looking with a piercing glare, his glare looked more like he was bored.

" **What do you want?"** He growled back.

" **Oh, can't a fellow Houndoom say hello to his fellow 'team member' occasionally?"** He asked with a roll of his eyes.

" **We 'weren't' a team!"** He barked.

" **You were the only one on the entire team who had a problem with our trainer!"** He said with a hint of laughter. **"Sure we lost once in a while, but it's the underground, rules don't exist there, so losing always happens… and losing is winning there sometimes!"**

" **What do you want…"** He growled again, not interested in trading words with this Houndoom.

" **I want to know how you been doing… you know, since you 'lost' your pack!"** He said with a smirk.

He growled warningly as he stormed away, but the other Houndoom continued to pester him.

" **Oh what's wrong, afraid to admit you lost to a human?"** He called after him. **"Did the big bad Scar who killed his own Trainer, lose to a pacifist? Oh, wait, don't tell me, he had help from a Pokemon and you lost to that Pokemon but 'he' took the credit?"**

At that he had enough, he turned around and let loose with a Flamethrower at the Houndoom, but instead of burning him, he was met with only a smoldering stone. Two seconds after he realized his mistake, a pair of fangs dug their way into the soft flesh of his neck, and held him still. While Scar was busy brewing and stewing, the other Houndoom had used a Substitute move to get his attention for the Flamethrower. While he was distracted momentarily by the Substitute, he had gotten around his side and grabbed him by the neck.

It was a move he would have seen through, if his thoughts weren't distracted.

" **What did our trainer tell you…"** He growled through his mouth full of neck. **"Watch… your… temper… or you'll make mistakes… Scar!"**

He glared furiously at the wall, angry at his careless mistake. **"Let… me… go… 'Bolt'."** He growled angrily.

" **After you've calmed down Scar…"** He growled back, his voice still muffled. **"Hate our trainer if you want… but don't forget the lessons he taught us… I was one of the few who actually 'liked' our trainer… for what you did I should kill you…"**

Moments later though Bolt released his control of Scar's neck, and stared coldly at him. **"But I won't because I didn't like battling under him that much either… you hate humans because of him… but just because you hate them, does not mean you should underestimate them."**

" **He lost, over and over… and I wanted to 'win', not lose!"** Scar whispered, not enjoying the argument but not backing down from it either. **"He was weak, and any human who is weak doesn't deserve to live!"**

Ever since he returned to his former pack on route 10, he's had to deal not only with the politics of this pack, but now one of his former team members from his days battling in the Underground battling ring.

When he was first captured, he had joined a human trainer's team alongside another Houndour, both he and Bolt had joined because they figured this trainer was strong. However, after many years of battling, their trainer had yet to prove their expectations, and instead only showed his weakness and underhandedness when it came to achieving victory.

No trick was too dirty for them, clawing out eyes, breaking legs, snapping bones, all that mattered was victory because winning meant getting 'money'. Money, the one thing in the human world that humans needed, without it, they were 'nothing'.

And he never wanted to be one who had 'nothing'.

" **So I guess the human who took your pack deserves to live?"** Bolt whispered back tauntingly.

He growled warningly before Bolt took the message and dropped the subject, but not before he grinned again. **"Just remember Scar, you use what you learned from a 'Human'…"** He said before turning and walking away.

He stared at where Bolt was before going off down the passage, and going further into the den toward the 'pleasure passage'.

He needed a good release after dealing with his former teammate.

(David's PoV at that moment)

"How are you feeling Lucy?" He asked his Absol mate softly, gently rubbing her belly which had become swollen in recent weeks.

" **Happy."** She answered lovingly, giving him affectionate licks as he continued to rub her belly, where inside lay their first pup's egg.

An egg which protected their pup, which was kept safe and warm inside of Lucy's belly.

It's been two weeks since Lancelot defeated Glitter for the right to have Lunara as his mate, and since then the pack has settled down. The Winter Reserve Guards, though still distrusting the rest of the pack, accepted the new order of leadership without incident.

Glitter, now serving as Lunara's second in command, obeyed her orders with the same dispassionate tone and attitude as he did before, but he made sure to avoid her as much as physically possible nowadays.

Lancelot, after taking Lunara as his mate, no longer received looks from the pack's single females. But after his fight, nearly every member of the pack had renewed respect for the Lucario bodyguard to David.

With winter nearing its end, everyone was getting prepared for resuming their normal pack duties, and it was a good thing too. Icicle the Glaceon had reported to him that the food reserves were starting to get low, a result of all the pregnancies occurring in the pack.

In total, sixteen females had become pregnant this winter, fourteen of whom had mates. The remaining two however, had become pregnant thanks to the only other individual who mated females in the pack when they had asked to be mated.

David's earlier fears at accidentally making mothers of these females, had come to fruition. He had succeeded in impregnating not only Lucy, whom had been wanting it to happen, but also 'Floral' the Leafeon and 'Natalia' the Ninetales.

Floral had found out she was pregnant only last week, when she noticed her belly had been getting bigger just like Lucy's had been. This was surprising, given how long ago her heat had been, and she hadn't mated with any other male since then. But she informed him regardless, and thanked him for the pups she was now happy to be giving birth to.

Natlia found out she was pregnant early yesterday, having already gone through it once with the litter Scar gave her. Unlike Floral who had merely been surprised, Natalia had requested a private meeting with him to tell him the wonderful news, and how happy and honored she was to have been impregnated by him.

Yet Lucy's advice also came true, as neither female showed any bitterness toward him for accidentally getting both females pregnant. Quite the contrary, Floral was ecstatic after discovering she was becoming a mother. She walked into the lake chamber after finding out and proudly declared she would name her first son after the Pack Leader's name, in honor for all he's done for every other mother Scar forcibly made.

As for Natalia, she too was over the moon at being impregnated by him, and after discovering she too had become pregnant, offered him the honor of naming the first pup she gave birth to. But she also declared publicly that, because of her newfound irresistible feelings for her Pack Leader, she would accept no other male when it came to mating and breeding.

Also, Natalia's pup 'David' had reached maturity alongside his three sisters, as well as many of the other Pups. All of them were ready to join the ranks of the rest of the Pack's members, and would be starting their positions as basic members of the pack. They would be among those scavenging for berries when the orders were given. The more powerful and older members would become the pack's warriors and sentries, protecting the weaker and younger members while they scavenged for food for the pack to eat.

"Do you need to eat anything Lucy?" He asked, still lying in bed with his Absol love as she continued to lick his cheek.

" **I might need to eat soon; I've got an egg inside me to take care of after all!"** She said with a giggle.

" **Merde, listen to you two!"** Sophia barked as she climbed into the bed as well. **"Acting like an old married couple! And here I thought 'I' was supposed to be the Caniche romantique!"**

They both looked at her as she snuggled up in bed with the two of them and got him to start petting her behind the ear.

"Sorry Sophia, but I've never been a father before, I'm not sure what I need to do or how else to act." He said to her.

" **Yes well, maybe you should start learning, I mean, goodness, you knocked up 'three' females?"** She snapped with suppressed laughter. **"I know it was bound to happen, but at least 'try' to restrain yourself… save those puppies you breed for me and Lucy!"**

" **I've already told him, just because he put the puppies in them, doesn't make our Pack Leader the 'father' of our pack's females."** Lucy said exasperatedly. **"Unless they are his Prime Mate, or in your case 'second' Prime Mate, none of our females will call him their pup's father."** Then she grinned and looked at him with a smile. **"Buuuut~ that doesn't mean they won't mind getting pregnant because of you. After all you've done for us, I'm sure a few of our pack's females would love to have more pups with you."**

"Lucy, I am not a breeding machine, I am not going to breed an entire Pack of Pokemon just because you say I can!" He said quietly.

" **Who said that… me?"** She responded with her tongue sticking out.

" **Leader, Leader David!"** A male voice called out from his chamber.

"Come on in!" He said, sitting up and quickly combing his hair to make him presentable.

Moments later Yara walked in, bowed respectfully, and looked back at him. **"Pack Leader David, the Elders have requested your presence, they have a law that they wish to propose to you to make a decree. Also, you have a female Mightyena who wishes to speak with you."**

"Alright, tell the Elders I'll be there momentarily, and have Nera tell this Mightyena to wait in my chamber until I return from meeting with the Elders." He said, getting up and putting on some clean socks and shoes.

Yara nodded and left to carry out his request, leaving David to change into clean clothes.

Another thing that's changed is Serena's 'care packages' that she's been regularly leaving him every week. Once a week a member of the pack locates the package outside their den, and they bring it in for him. Each time Serena leaves him with various items, though mostly she's been leaving him clothes since his old clothes he used to have, have long since been destroyed by Karen's flames.

It was the only way to get rid of the dirty smell that lingered in their chamber.

After putting on clean clothes, he and Lucy left the chamber with Sophia and headed to the Elders' meeting chamber.

"I wonder what kind of decree they want me to make this time." He asked his two Pokemon.

" **Iuno chief, but I'm hungry!"** Karen his Braixen chirped in behind, appearing as she and Lancelot followed in step behind him.

"Where did you two come from?" He asked them.

 **(Forgive us, we just finished our routine 'training' exercise.)** Lancelot said respectfully.

" **And by that, he means him and Lunara were making out down below, and I was watching!"** Karen said with a giggle.

 **(K… Karen!)** He said, causing them all to giggle. **(You promised you wouldn't mention that!)**

" **No, I said I wouldn't make 'fun' of you, not mention it!"** She said with a sly grin.

"Lancelot why are you so ashamed that you have a mate now?" He asked as they continued to walk.

Lancelot however, blushed and looked away, before privately telling him, **(I'm not… I'm just… still getting used to being able to 'say' I have a mate…)**

They all laughed at Lancelot's silence before they separated again, with Lancelot and Karen going to get food from the lake chamber, Lucy and Sophia going to go and talk with Terrance, and finally him going into the Elders Chamber.

Once inside he sat before the semicircle of Elders before him, and waited for them to begin their meeting as usual.

" **Leader David…"** Isis said warmly, before coughing suddenly. **"It is good to see you have arrived… let us begin."**

"Elder Isis, are you okay?" He asked the aging Espeon worriedly.

She smiled and looked at him blindly. **"Oh… I'm alright… it's just my age showing itself… but let us begin… we have an issue that needs your attention."**

He nodded and waited for them to begin.

" **Hours ago, Terrance spotted what appeared to have been an intruder within the water passage under the lake chamber's entrance."** Kuma the Mightyena Elder barked. **"The intruder he spotted looked like a Cloyster at a distance… but he did not manage to get a closer look at it."**

" **To that end, Terrance has requested we increase the number of guards protecting the water entrance with him."** Spinner the Ariados Elder said. **"As you know… we have only three water type Pokemon capable of traversing the passage… Terrance the Lapras, Aurora the Vaporeon… and her new mate Tiber. We can assign them to the water passage to protect it…"**

" **However, we propose a decree that will help us better protect the water passage."** Yin, the Umbreon elder said. **"As you know, there 'are' several Eevees in the pack, many of whom are of age, including the pup of Aurora, whom Scar helped create…"**

" **They possess the ability to evolve into Vaporeons as well, they need only Water Stones… which we have at our disposal."** Jen the Furfrou Elder said. **"What we wish for you to do is make a decree in this form… we suggest you decree that those Eevees of age, become Vaporeons, and help guard the passage."**

" **The underwater passage into our den is the 'only' weakness in our den's defenses, with exception to the tunnel which Scar's late son dug into the reserves, which has been closed per your orders."** Isis declared. **"We feel Terrance's request to post additional guards is well warranted. If it is compromised in any way, we risk further damage to our pack, especially our food reserves. Now Pack Leader… what is your decision?"**

He thought about what the Elders told him, and thought about what Terrance would have said to him as well. If Terrance thought additional help was needed, then it must be serious, he may be a gentle Lapras, but when he gets serious then it 'must' be important.

But at the same time, he didn't want to make a decree forcing Pokemon to evolve into something they might not want to evolve into. These Pokemon that called him Pack Leader would do as he said, but he was still uncomfortable with making life changing decrees that might hurt 'his' Pokemon in some way.

He may not be a trainer, and they may not be 'his' Pokemon… but every member of 'his' pack was by some extension 'his' responsibility.

"I will make a Decree, but I will not force any Eevee to become a Vaporeon if they do not want to become one…" He said finally. "My Decree is this, 'in order to protect our water passage from further intrusions, any Eevee capable and willing to become a Vaporeon, is 'asked' to become a Vaporeon and help Terrance protect our water passage'."

He looked up at them and stared back determinedly, letting them know his word was final.

"I will not order any Pokemon to become something, if they themselves do not wish to make that change of their own free will."

The Elders all looked at each other momentarily, before nodding in acceptance.

" **As you decree, so it shall be Leader."** Isis declared proudly. **"I shall have your word carried by way of Yara and Nera as soon as possible, and those Eevee who are willing become Vaporeons assembled, and the stones prepared."**

With that all the Elders nodded and said he was free to leave, saying that they had to discuss further issues among themselves.

Now free of the Elders, he stood up and left to head to his chamber, along the way he encountered Yara and his sister Nera, both of whom bowed and told him what they had done for him.

"Thank you both, the Elders are looking for you both to spread word of my newest decree." He said to them. "Can you both please go to them and carry out their request?"

" **As you wish Leader!"** They said in unison, before walking off together.

With that he walked on to his chamber and saw that Karen wasn't watching over the entrance to his chamber, and he guessed that she and the others were still in the Lake Chamber.

He ducked into his chamber and passed through the low hanging weeds that marked the entrance and saw, sitting on his bed was a female Mightyena looking expectantly at him.

"Hello there?" He asked curiously, knowing that Nera had told him she'd brought the Mightyena at his request.

" **Greetings Leader David…"** She said softly, looking very nervous as she sat there. **"Thank you for accepting my request for your time…"**

"So what is it you needed from me?" He asked her.

He noticed that she was shifting her hind legs every few seconds and glancing around the chamber, as if she were gathering the courage to say exactly what he asked about.

" **Uh… you know… uhm… what I mean to say is…"** She whispered before she took a deep breath and stared determinedly at him. **"Will you… mate with me?"**

He looked at her and had to do a double take.

Despite being used to mating with Pokemon now, and being used to the knowledge that female Pokemon 'might' and 'would' come to him with this kind of request, he was still caught off guard at this Mightyena's request.

"You want me to mate with you…?" He asked, not knowing her name.

" **Lula… I'm called Lula!"** She said with a nod. **"Yes… it's my first heat… and well… it burns a lot and… I don't have a mate yet and… I don't know any male I really like yet… so I wanted… well…"** She took a deep breath and steadied herself. **"I can't stand this Leader… so please… I would be honored if you'd help me with my first heat!"**

"Are you sure you want me?" He asked, already guessing the answer, but he had to be sure.

She nodded in response. **"Yes leader, I'm sure of it… Please mate with me…"**

(David's and Lula's PoV)

With an understanding nod, he removed his shoes and sat next to Lula. Deciding to go with the slow approach, he scratched her behind her ears to get her more comfortable.

" **Oh… that feels nice~…"** She cooed. **"But… why aren't you mating me… I figured you'd…"**

"Don't worry… just let me lead…" He said softly, before he began stroking her sides.

" **Okay Leader…"** She replied softly, closing her eyes and letting him touch her. **"Just let me know when you want me~."**

This was the first time he was mating a Mightyena, and despite mating Sofia and Lucy, as well as both Floral and Icicle, and even Natalia, all of whom had similar body types, Lula was just ever so slightly different. Her fur was very soft, especially the fur along her body's two 'ridges' where the fur went from down her neck to her rear.

Speaking of her rear, his hand that had found its way to her butt, and was beginning to massage her plump rear. This Lula found she enjoyed, unlike how most Pokemon in the pack mated, her Leader was massaging her body, sending waves of pleasure and making her feel good. She would have been content to simply lower her front half, and let him mount her, but she was glad he 'was' taking the lead in this manner.

" **Ah~…"** She moaned pleasurably, leaning on him and beginning to lick his neck. **"That feels good my leader~!"**

"Then you'll like this next part." He whispered softly, trying his best to make her first heat as good as possible.

He used the hand that had been scratching her behind her ears, and turned her head toward his, angling it so that her muzzle was lined with his mouth, and pulled her into a gentle but firm kiss.

" **MMMhmm…"** She moaned happily, closing her eyes and poking her tongue into his mouth, licking the insides as much as she could.

Unlike Lucy and Sophia, Lula's mouth was lined with very sharp teeth, and they both knew it. Lula didn't want to risk hurting her offending her leader in any way, so she wanted to keep all the pleasure on his side, her release from her aching pussy would be 'her' pleasure.

While their tongues played, the hand that was softly squeezing and massaging her rear had moved to the front of her body, and found her swollen and puffed pussy. Within seconds of founding it he began to rub it gently, electing soft moans of pleasure.

When he stuck a finger inside of it, Lula pulled away and gasped blissfully, unfamiliar with the new sensation of having something 'inside' of her.

" **Ah!"** She said, before panting. **"Please… don't stop… that feels wonderful~!"**

"Are you enjoying it?" He asked her, resuming his treatment and gently rubbing the inside of her pussy's walls.

" **Oh yes… I love it… more please~!"**

She was loving her mating session, even if it hadn't begun yet. But as she was pleasured she wanted to please her leader now for being so gentle, and she spotted it as she saw a bulge in her leader's weird clothes. She pawed at the bulge hopefully, wanting her leader to release his precious dick that had made many females happy, especially his two prime mates and at least two new mothers.

Seeing what she wanted, he unzipped his pants, pulled them off and removed his shirt as well, before finally taking off his underwear, revealing his fully erect member.

Lula eyed it with awe, having never seen it with her eyes, only hearing about it from Natalia and Floral, as well as Icicle. But she knew what to do, she knew what her leader liked, and she lowered her mouth and began to lick it gently, even as he continued to massage her pussy's walls.

"Oh Lula… that feels nice!" He muttered, using one hand to scratch her head.

Lula cooed in response, busying herself with pleasing her leader, tasting his soft yet hard dick and enjoying the scent it gave off.

She wanted to remember this scent, the scent that would release her of her first heat.

Moments later though, Luna panted as she stopped licking his dick, and looked at him longingly. **"Please take me… my heat is burning; I can't take it anymore~!"**

"Alright Lula… turn around and get ready." He said quietly.

She nodded and did as she was asked, she turned around, lowered her front half and raised her tail high to display her pussy, ready and waiting to be filled with her leader's dick.

Lining himself up and gripping her rear, he took only a few seconds to admire how puffed her sex's entrance was, before pushing in as far as he could. Her walls were warm and extremely tight, causing him to gasp in pleasure at how tight she was for him.

Without warning though, he pushed right through a thin fleshy barrier, causing him to suddenly look down and see a small line of red leaving her sex.

Lula had whimpered only slightly, before tensing up the second he broke her barrier.

"Lula…you're a virgin?" He asked quietly, not realizing her first 'heat' was literally her first time!

She looked back warmly and nodded. **"Yes Leader… I gave you my first time…"** She whispered happily. **"My mother… got pregnant with Scar's pup, and gave birth to two males last month. But your Decree allowed her to keep my little brothers… that's why I wanted… to thank you. So, I waited until my first heat… so I can give you my 'thanks'…"**

"Lula… I don't know what to say." He said softly, shocked that she had waited this long to simply 'thank' him for making some decree.

" **You don't have to… just mate with me… this is my way of thanking you…"** She answered, before picking her front half up again.

"Alright… thank you Lula." He said softly.

With that he began to thrust in and out of her tight pussy, loving the feeling of how warm she felt the feeling of his dick inside of her passage. Every time he moved in and out, her walls tightened or expanded ever so slightly, tightening to keep him in and expanding to entice him back in.

Despite it being her first-time mating, Lula had gotten over the pain of losing her virginity very easily, and the fact that she was mating with a male who 'truly' cared about her, screamed that she had made the right choice. Her mother had described mating with Scar as the only honorable moment in her life under Scar's rule, the act had left her feeling unhappy. Upon learning she was giving birth to more pups, had caused her to worry about the future of her possible brothers.

However, now with her new Leader, she could keep her new little brothers, and that was why she 'wanted' to mate with him. Not just because it was her heat, but because she wanted to truly show her thanks.

Feeling his dick inside of her though, was even better than she imagined. Her sex, though inexperienced, easily accepted his dick, massaging every inch with her warmth as he had massaged her body with pleasure.

" **Ah… oh… you feel amazing~!"** She cooed, lowering her front half and letting him grip her upper body. **"Keep thrusting… make me yours tonight Leader!"**

"Alright then… let's see how you like this then!" He grunted, before giving a hard thrust, pulling her back into 'him' just as he pushed into her.

" **AH~!"** She cried, loving how dominant he just became. **"Yes… like that! Harder… right there~!"**

He began to thrust more regularly, with more pressure, fucking Lula and causing her to moan in pleasure. Seconds later she cried out loudly, and he felt her walls tighten around his dick and spray it with her juices.

"I guess you just came?" He asked pausing only to hear her answer.

" **Yes… I'm sorry but… it 'is' my first time Leader…"** She panted heavily, looking apologetic at him. **"Please forgive me… if I'm not satisfying…"**

"Oh… don't worry, your feeling wonderful… but we can't finish yet." He said with a smile, picking her up and holding her body with his arms wrapped around her. "I need to make 'you' feel good… so let's keep going until I cum…"

With that he began thrusting again, and she panted heavily with each thrust, moaning as his dick entered her womb with ease now that she had orgasmed.

" **Ah… oh… leader~!"** She cried blissfully. **"My… pussy… I can't… I can't take it… it feels amazing~!"**

"Thank my… two Prime Mates… they gave me practice." He grunted as he lifted her leg, held her up to push even further into her than he could.

' **Oh… I'm so honored…~."** She gasped, her tongue hanging out as her paws dug into his bed.

Several thrusts later he began to push into her even harder and faster, signaling that he was about to release. "I'm about to cum Lula…" He said.

" **Release inside me!"** She panted. **"I want it… please!"**

"But… what if you… get pregnant!" He panted even harder, thrusting as he felt his release approaching.

" **I don't mind!"** She screamed, and not two thrusts later, she got her wish. **"Ahhhhh~!"**

She screamed as he hilted, and released strings and spurts of his hot cum into her waiting womb, at the same time she came again, spraying his dick with more of her juices. She cooed every second he came inside of her, and loved the feeling of her heat being cooled off, and her womb being full of sperm.

"How was it Lula?" He asked her gently.

" **Wonderful…"** She panted warmly, turning her head to lick his lips.

They remained that way for several seconds before a cough sounded nearby, and they both looked up to see Lucy smiling wickedly at the two of them.

" **So, I take you had some fun while I was gone?"** She asked him,

"Uh… yea Lucy." He said with an apologetic smile.

" **Well, you know what I say to that love… if you want to mate, it's okay with me… just know this."** She said with a smile, slowly walking toward him. **"When you mate, you mate 'me' afterwards… hope you're ready for round two love!"**


	36. Chapter 32

_*The future is never written…*_

 _*What will come will come, and when it does…*_

 _*We will meet it, when it does…*_

=Chapter 32 – Goodbye Elder Isis=

" _ **I will not let this stand… you will pay for your crimes, even if I must do it myself!"**_

" _ **You, what can you do you old 'infertile', you barely have strength to walk!"**_

 _She gasped for breath, knowing it was true, the journey had drained her strength, she barely had stamina to stand properly. Yet she still had power, her powers that she never stopped storing._

" _ **I know your future… he who is forever scarred… the path you would lead is one of darkness for us… Yet the path 'he' offers, gives light, and it is that light which will bring you to defeat. I cannot let you live… I cannot let you threaten that future."**_

" _ **Your 'future' vision is worthless… as is your life."**_

" _ **I will not let you threaten my pack… I will not let you harm them… the 'family' that journeys together. My pack depends on me winning here… and I will not fail them!"**_

 _She closed her eyes and opened them again, seeing nothing but a sea of flames in the shape of a Houndoom, consumed in that fire was darkness. Yet atop her forehead was a beacon of light, and she prepared to once again unleash her power for the very last time…_

 _She had to… if she failed here, the vision would come true, and death and despair would befall the bright and joyful light that her pack now enjoys._

" _ **DIE!"**_ _He yelled as he charged, leaping at her._

" _ **Dazzling Gleam!"**_ _She screamed out loud, determined to blind his sight, as she once did to herself._

(Isis' PoV)

*Gasp*

She opened her eyes in panic as she looked around her cave room, but alas all she saw was darkness. She was as alone in this small den as she always was, as she always will be.

" **My dreams have been speaking to me greatly, and clearly, these past few weeks…"** She whispered to herself as her breathing slowly settled. **"The vision I saw before, the fearsome flame that seeks to burn our future… yet a faint ray of hope continues to appear. Why do 'I' appear in the vision… why am 'I' the one who is destined to stare down Scar?"**

She was an Elder, a very old Pokemon, the oldest of all the elders in Pack David. She has seen the beginning and end of many Pack Leaders in her pack, from her youth to her old age of, in human years, sixty-four. She has counselled many, many members of the pack, some to happiness, and some to sadness.

In her youth, she was a strong Pokemon, more than a match for any opponent, yet in her old age she barely had strength to walk and stand for any given period.

Even now as she tried to wearily stand up and head for the council meeting chamber for their usual meeting time, she was struggling to get up and move.

" **Oh… come on my old bones and muscles… we do this every day…"** She muttered as she wearily stood up, and began to slowly walk forward. **"I can barely still walk… how am I supposed to journey outside of the den?"**

In her old age, her dreams were psychic visions of the future, her powers had developed so strongly that she could see events as they were destined to happen if certain courses stayed the same. This was how she saw that her pack would have a new leader, one who would bring strength and prosperity to their pack that would outshine any previous pack leader.

And it was as she foresaw, the sheer number of offspring that were given birth this winter and the number of new mothers was much higher than under previous leaders, even Scar. Despite Scar's use of the 'mating' rite he had and 'honor' that females gained by mating him, the number of mothers that became pregnant overall was double under David's rule than it was under Scar's rule.

Yes, the pack leader himself had only impregnated 'two' mothers by the end of winter, yet the sheer number of pups to come by summer's beginning, was already twice the number of expectant mothers compared to last summer. His decrees changed how females looked to the Pack Leader in regards to mating, and this resulted in them more than willing to give birth to many newborn pups.

This was good, the more pack members there were the stronger the pack becomes.

" **Our leader truly has grown our pack…"** She commented as she left her den, and began the slow walk toward the Council Chamber.

It had been six weeks since Winter finally ended, and the pack has resumed its normal duties. There were new foraging teams which had been created thanks to pups coming of age and joining the foraging teams, new warriors had been trained thanks to the Pack Leader's Braixen bodyguard training them.

Yet most of all, as far as 'some' were concerned, a few more females had become pregnant in the last three weeks thanks to mating with the Pack Leader.

First was Icicle the Glaceon, whom had gone through another heat just as Winter ended, and having enjoyed the session she had last with him, requested another mating session since there weren't any males she fancied yet. Four days after mating him, she had felt the telltale signs of pregnancy, and it was confirmed by another Espeon in the pack that she was pregnant.

The second was a female houndoom, who had also gone into heat and sought out the Pack Leader's assistance, as he was considered the strongest 'male' in her species' minds. A week later, she began to feel pains similar to Icicle, and was confirmed to also have gotten pregnant.

Third and final, was the Mightyena Lula, whom had requested a mating session for her first heat weeks prior to Winter ending. Five weeks later, her belly was growing larger, indicating that she was indeed pregnant with the Pack Leader's pup.

" **Humans are so afraid of the prospect of breeding, the silly youth~."** She joked as she walked past several den entrances and various Pack Members going about their business.

David had asked for a council with her, as she was the oldest, and voiced his concerns and fears yet again about 'mating' so many females and his fear of getting them pregnant.

His concerns were noticeable and very worrisome to him, as he feared that years later, if he still remained their Pack Leader, especially for 'many many' years to come, he would eventually breed with his own offspring.

She counseled him though, and told him that, while it is indeed 'inappropriate' for him to breed with his 'kin', that was only when it came to 'humans'. For Pokemon, they were not ashamed or did not mind the prospect of breeding within their own bloodlines, at least 'some' weren't. Most didn't approve of it, but they also did not try to stop those who practiced it, unless it was being done for reason outside of 'love'.

She herself was the product of her mother breeding with her very own father.

Her mother had told her that, after her father lost his mate in a battle with Pack Logan, at the time called Pack Silas, and was so distressed that he lost all will to keep going. Yet her mother, though his own flesh and blood daughter, still loved and cared for him and wanted him to keep living, and so one night, a confrontation and a confession later, found them both in love with each other.

Thus, she was born, and she was as healthy as any normal pup being born to two parents not related by blood.

It was still a taboo, but they did not punish the taboo nearly as severely as they punished other things.

Unlike humans, Pokemon do not suffer any such, 'defects' when breeding among their own, as humans might suffer, which she told him proudly while also sharing her story.

Also, while he may indeed 'father' a pup, he is still not considered the 'father' because it was created by coincidence, and not because he and the mother intended to create a pup.

She walked down a side tunnel toward the meeting chamber, and as she did she watched a small group of foragers walking toward her, heading for the lake chamber. They were dragging a sac made of Ariados webbing, stuffed with berries and fruits to be stored in the Winter Reserves.

" **Our pack grows stronger, and our food is plentiful, with the 'Life Giver' and the bountiful grove she created… we can grow even larger than we ever have."** She whispered warmly as she watched the foragers and their guard pass by.

To her, they were vibrant colors, one blue, one orange, and another green, all mixed with bits of purple and yellow. There was a time under Scar's rule that those colors had 'sad' colors mixed in with some of the pack's members. Now however, life was positive among them, there was not a single spark of life in the den that did not disapprove of their pack leader.

Even if he was human.

Their pack had also grown immensely, new wild Pokemon nearby had heard of the growth of their pack from traveling Wingulls and Pidgeottos. Pokemon that had been pushed out of their native locations found a new home among the packs, in particular theirs.

An Onix had moved in from the Glittering Cave, and in exchange for the safety of the pack's strength and secured borders, agreed to help excavate further tunnels and dens, and improve their sewer system. They allowed it to create a den far below even the Winter Reserve's deepest catacombs, to eat and live, and once or twice a day would come up to ask if the pack needed it for anything.

With this Onix's help, there was going to be more space for further additions to the pack.

A group of Luxios and even a Luxray had roamed in, and asked to join the pack. Several other Ariados, pushed out by roaming Pidgeottos, requested to join, as did a few more Sevipers and even a pair of Absol from Lucy's mountain home.

In total, their pack had gained forty more members in such a short time, and was expected to grow even more with new pups being born soon, and new expectant mothers by summer's beginning.

With the help of the grove Xerneas created, that was so bountiful that it alone could feed their original numbers when David took charge, that their old foraging places simply added to the food piles allowing a surplus to occur. This surplus meant that they could grow even more, and insured that any member would grow hungry again.

" **Isis, your looking well…"** Yin said suddenly in front of her.

She looked up out of her deep thinking and walking, only noticing the aging Umbreon as an array of dark purple and white colors. To her, all living Pokemon and Humans were simply strange colors in various forms, she only knew a species by the overall shape they appeared to be.

Yin was the second oldest Elder and though wise in his own regard, he was as stubborn as Kuma in regards to pack rules and rituals. But at least in her mind, he was more 'temperamental' than Kuma was.

" **Yin, how good to see you, has the Pack Leader returned yet?"** She questioned as they walked together to the meeting chamber.

" **Not yet, his meeting with Pack Delica about forging an alliance is taking longer than it should…"** He replied worriedly.

" **I do not foresee him coming to harm in this venture."** She replied calmly. **"No, I sense no harmful future nearby…"**

" **If the Prime Mate had any other say, you'd think Giratina itself were about to descend upon us!"** Yin said jokingly, but it was true.

Ever since Pack Leader David left three days ago, Lucy the first Prime Mate had been going hysteric with each passing day that he did not return. The reason was that her belly was causing her pains, the final signs that she was to give birth soon. She wanted him present for when their first egg together came, and with it the birth of their son and heir to the pack. She was constantly yelling, assigning roles and furiously attacking her duties as Prime Mate, anything to distract her from the fact that she was to give birth and her mate was 'not' there.

The Second Prime Mate, Sophia, wasn't there either, along with Bodyguard Karen. Both had gone along to keep the Pack Leader company with Yara and Nera in his journey to Pack Delica. Karen, Yara and Nera to keep him safe, and Sophia to be his 'mate for the night' should he require release or simply wish to mate with her.

Only Lancelot was able to keep the rowdy Prime Mate calm, even Terrance could do nothing to calm her down.

And Xerneas the Life Giver did not ever leave her small cave in the underground lake chamber.

Despite her best efforts to counsel her, Lucy would not calm down until David returned to her. Though the one time she did calm herself, was to tell her how much she loved the idea of giving birth to her first son. Though she knew it would be painful to give birth to an egg, she wanted nothing more than to bring a new life she created with her beloved human into the world.

They walked into the meeting chamber, just as Nayru the Ninetales Elder, Jen the Furfrou Elder, Kuma the Mightyena Elder, and finally Spinner the Ariados Elder were settling down for their meeting.

They both took their allotted seats and she prepared to call their meeting to order.

" **Now, let us begin my fellow Elders… for we have 'much' to discuss."** She said, looking blindly at all of them.

" **Indeed, yesterday's events have brought troubling news…"** Nayru said quietly. **"The Mightyena couple that arrived here… battered and bleeding, have told us a great many things."**

She nodded in agreement.

Yesterday, two new Mightyena arrived in their pack's borders, a female with white fur, indicating she was an albino, or an 'infertile' as many Pokemon know them as who went by the name 'Adiva'. The other was a normal Mightyena, but covered in many cuts and bruises and bleeding fiercely called 'Ming'.

They had told the Council that they were seeking safety from 'Pack Flare's' Leader. The reason for this, was that the male, Ming, had attacked and injured a Houndoom in Flare's pack, a Houndoom they knew full well as Scar. His reason was because Scar had raped and violated Adiva, taking her purity by force and leaving her sobbing and broken.

Ming, in vengeance for Adiva's dishonor, attacked Scar wishing to bring justice to him. However, Scar overpowered him, and because his act was not 'punishable' under Flare's rule, since he mated with an 'infertile', Ming was punished instead.

He would have been killed had Adiva not fought him out, and together ran away from Pack Flare's territory, but not without fighting the many sentries along Route 10. They escaped the territory, barely, and only thanks to barely scraping through Pack Delica's borders did they arrive at Pack David's territory.

" **Scar may try to use this as an excuse to convince Flare to declare war on us… according to Adiva, by Pack Flare's laws, the only punishment for this crime is 'death', by 'his' claws."** Elder Nayru said quietly.

" **Indeed, we should send these two away as swiftly as possible."** Elder Spinner said instantly. **"Our pack may be strong, but even as we are, we are no match for the combined might of Pack Flare, which controls a territory three times the size 'we' do, and has five times the number of warriors. We cannot risk a pack war with them."**

" **But at the same time, we cannot just turn two desperate Pokemon away!"** Elder Jen barked. **"They may be outlaws, but they are still living Pokemon, trying to live! Can you blame them for seeking sanctuary?"**

" **Regardless, this is the future of our pack we are talking about, and despite the situation, they broke the laws of a pack, we cannot protect them without forcing a possible pack war!"** Elder Kuma growled.

" **We may not like what has occurred, but regardless, Scar is an outlaw to 'our' pack, I doubt Flare would go to such lengths to get revenge on two Mightyena, one of whom cannot even 'breed'."** Elder Yin said. **"Even if he wanted, this is 'Scar' we are talking about, his ambitions are obvious, but his ways will only bring destruction. Flare surely sees this as well, by what right would Flare believe in Scar's words and commit his pack to a confrontation, when we are so very far away…"**

" **We should not underestimate the lengths Scar will go to, to re-secure his control over his former pack."** She said calmly, catching all of their eyes and ears instantly. **"He was able to convince 'seven' Linoones under Flare's command, to follow his son, and raid our food during the Winter Season. That time of the year is the one time of year, we should be safest, when all Pokemon unsuited to cold remain stationary. Even Humans, more suited to rapidly adapting to any climate than even 'we' Pokemon are, tend to stay stationary in the winter season. You saw the damage he did, he assaulted our food reserves directly, and though the loss was small, we still lost food in that chamber. The loss of any food during the winter months is a devastating blow for our pack, no matter how small the amount."**

She glanced to them all and felt her words seeping into their minds.

" **We cannot let Scar reclaim control of this pack, of this my visions tell me… should he do so, many sons will die with his return. Life itself will be threatened, as if Pack Leader David dies, so too will Xerneas… and if she dies… Arceus will no doubt, unleash its wrath upon all the world for the death of such a necessary part of the world's survival."** She whispered worriedly. **"But that is merely the fate that will befall the world, for us, our pack member's fates… we all know what will happen. Those offspring David has sired, willingly or not, will be killed. Those who favored him, killed or raped until they change their minds… you all know how Scar thinks. He will not rest until all evidence of Pack Leader David is gone. And as we all know from the whispers we hear in passing, many females favor him greatly, many mothers and fathers are happy with him. Fathers of daughters willing to let him mate with their daughters, mothers of his offspring are proud to become so… should Scar take over again…"**

She sighed and imagined the many smiling, joyous lights she sees every day now, being snuffed out…

" **All… will die. And with them, the future prosperity of our pack."**

Silence reined as everyone contemplated her words, thought about them carefully, before finally Elder Jen spoke up.

" **What do we do then Isis… what do your future seeing eyes see?"** Jen barked hopefully.

Isis sighed softly, before glancing at her.

" **I will go to Pack Flare… and tell Flare of Scar's treachery, of his intents, and his motives and means for the actions he takes against us…"** She declared softly. **"Flare will no doubt, listen to the words of an Elder, far more than he will listen to the words of a 'Human'. My visions tell me so… He will 'never' listen to just any human. Let alone our Pack Leader. They tell me I must go…"**

" **You go, 'you' go?"** Yin asked incredulously. **"Elder Isis, have you gone… mad?"**

" **Indeed, you are the oldest of us, you are the wisest, you cannot possibly go… the pack needs your wisdom! If you go out beyond the den at your age, you might not survive the journey!"** Kuma barked.

" **And that is only half the issue, 'IF' you make it to Flare, how can you be sure you can convince him… you are only an Elder Pokemon, not of his pack…"** Jen yipped nervously.

" **And even if you could reach Pack Flare, how would you get back to us, the journey alone would take a healthy Pokemon almost seven days! At your age, you can barely manage a trip to the lake chamber for a drink in an hour's time!"** Nayru said.

" **Yes… the journey is too risky for you, you see the pack's future, your wisdom is too great to risk losing, please… do not consider this journey!"** Spinner hissed.

She chuckled slightly, but only slightly because it was hard for her to chuckle very hard.

" **Elders… I am the daughter of a father and his daughter… as you all know."** She whispered softly to them. **"I am a descendent of a lineage, proud to have been in this pack since its founding… Yet my visions call me, and tell me that this is the path we 'must' take to ensure the future of our pack."**

She looked up at them and pictured their worried expressions.

" **I have seen many things that would take ten lifetimes to explain, I have guided our pack to where it is now, and I have seen more than any of you have seen… Still my visions call me, and tell me that I must leave to keep our path going!"**

She wearily got up and walked over to each of them, first with Yin, slowly nuzzling his cheek, knowing that at one point in their youth, he fancied her greatly. Even though she was older.

" **Our time on this world is finite, we cannot endure forever…"** She whispered softly, hearing him give a purr that showed his pleasure at being nuzzled.

" **I will never forget what we've done, in this pack together…"** She whispered as she nuzzled Nayru, who cooed as it reminded her of her former lover, whom Scar defiled and murdered.

" **Though we will someday part, we must treasure our lives as they are all we have…"** She whispered while nuzzling Jen, who nodded in understanding, having lost her son when the previous leader to Scar killed her son.

" **We are proud of who we are, and what we are, but even 'we' must be willing to change…"** She whispered as she nuzzled Kuma, who grunted in 'restrained' pleasure, trying to act tough in front of her.

" **And though I wish we could live a hundred lives… I know our time will eventually come…"** She whispered to Spinner, even as she nuzzled the Ariados, who listened to her every word as he was the youngest Elder.

" **My dreams call to me, and tell me I must go to ensure the future of our pack! I trust in my visions, that tell me the future as it will be, and they say to go to Pack Flare."** She said, before walking back to her old spot. **"I know my way… and the path I must take, I have guided us this far but now it is time I guide myself once more. This is the way it must be… I must go, and leave our Pack."**

She looked back at the other Elders and smiled nervously, because she was hiding one single fact… that her visions foresaw her in a battle.

A battle between a healthy and strong Houndoom, and an old and weak, blind and tired Espeon.

" **I will come back, of this I swear… as Elder Isis, of Pack David."** She declared.

As she finished her declaration, there was a commotion outside and through the corridors of the den.

" **I believe Pack Leader David has returned."** She said warmly, before turning and walking to the entrance to their chamber, and stopping a Growlithe from running to carry a message to David.

(David's PoV)

David walked into the main chamber of the den surrounded by all his Pack Members, many of them Vulpix, a few Ninetales, Luxrays and Luxios, Growlithes, Eevees and other Eeveelutions, Houndours and Houndooms, Poochyena and Mightyenas, Sevipers and other Pokemon. All of them happy to see him back among them.

It was a commotion of sounds from all of his Pack's Pokemon members, as all of them were talking and either greeting him back or questioning him of his mission to Pack Delica.

"Calm down everyone, I will explain in a moment!" He yelled loudly as Yara, Nera and Karen formed a triangle to keep some distance between them and him and Sophia.

As he approached his usual sitting place when it came to the meetings his pack had, he saw Lucy smiling confidently, waiting for him to join her. Behind her was Lancelot, kneeling behind and off to the side of Lucy, smiling warmly as he approached.

 **(Master, it is good you returned, Lucy has been… very aggressive about wanting you to return.)** Lancelot said with a chuckle.

"Aggressive?" He asked, knowing his Lucario could hear him easily.

" **Oh dear,** **Notre première femme chérie** **is all uppity at missing her husband?"** Sophia barked.

" **Shut it Second Prime Mate!"** Lucy growled as David sat next to her, and she instantly nuzzled onto his lap and proceeded to hold his tongue hostage with her own mouth. **"Mmm… hmhmm…"**

When she 'finally' let him go, she was blushing warmly and smiling lovingly at him.

" **I'm to give birth soon love… I didn't want you away when it happens…"**

"You really need to stop worrying… and being so aggressive with Sophia…" He commented, bopping her on the nose.

" **Oh shut up, the moment we get back to our room, I want you to fuck me so hard that my pussy 'bleeds' again…"** She growled seductively under her breath.

"But… what about our son…" He whispered, very nervous about how she sounded.

She was acting very 'aggressive' indeed, Lancelots warning was obviously an understatement.

At his words, she softened her expression and shook her head. **"Sorry… this pain and worrying about you got to my head…"** She whispered apologetically.

" **And you say 'I'm' the sex crazed member of the team…"** Karen chuckled. **"At least I tell master David to simply bang me all night long. I don't tell him to make me bleed."**

" **Enough… we have a meeting to begin…"** Sophia barked.

He nodded and looked out at his pack. "Attention members of Pack David!" He declared, and at his words silence happened. "As you know, I left three days ago to visit Pack Delica, and negotiate with her a treaty to unite our packs and form an alliance of mutual assurance and protection. This alliance would not only give us access to something we lack, knowledge about creating a more stable and cleaner 'sewer system' that while we have, is very basic, but also secure a border and allow us to divert our pack's warriors to other locations."

He smiled and let the knowledge sink in before continuing.

"I am happy to announce that with this visit, I was successful in forging an alliance between Pack David, and Pack Delica! Our two packs and the territories we control are now joined together in a joint effort of mutual benefit. Should one of us be threatened, the other will aid them in any way. Our pack's foragers can safely venture near their borders without the need of heavy escorts, as they have granted us access to their foraging spots and we theirs!"

He smiled as he watched his pack celebrating and cheering.

In truth, it didn't take much to convince her, the last winter had hit her pack hard, and they barely survived it with their food stores very depleted. In exchange for joint harvesting Xerneas' grove, she offered to send her pack's members to help protect any foragers that venture close to their territory.

Though he refrained from letting anyone else know that, Pack Delica had a time-honored tradition when it came to forging treaties, one he unfortunately had to break for the sake of Sophia.

When Pack Delica made any agreement that both packs liked, her pack's leaders shared their prime mates with each other and the leaders shared each other in a round of mating. It was supposed to 'form a lasting bond' between the two packs, but Sophia was outraged and refused… and David managed to get Delica to agree to not force it on Sophia.

But she did however tell him that unless he absolutely wanted to go back without agreeing to a treaty, he had to at least mate her 'twice' to make up for Sophia not allowing Purrson, her Liepard Prime Mate to mate his Furfrou Second Prime Mate.

Needless to say, he had no choice but to accept, and he did not return to his and Sophia's chamber for at least two hours.

His only thought was, how did a Delcatty that spent most of its time lying about cleaning herself, have the stamina to last an hour's worth of endless sex?

And do it 'twice' in one night?

He had released four times inside of her to her 'two'.

He was just glad she wasn't in heat, he did not want to have to get 'another' female pregnant, especially the leader of another pack, on top of the three he recently got pregnant in his own pack. An issue Lucy laughed at and Sophia was getting very annoyed at him with.

" _ **At least 'try' to pull out you Idiot de pompage de sperme!"**_ _She barked at him after finding out he got Lula the mightyena pregnant, a day after Icicle and a Houndoom female told him the 'good news'._ _ **"Learn some self-restraint, and don't cum inside every single womb that you stick your dick into if your so concerned!"**_

Lucy meanwhile had laughed hysterically at Sophia's comments, but said she didn't mind how many pups he bred with the 'other' girls.

" _ **As long as he makes sure to fill my womb each time he mates a female, I don't mind how many girls he knocks up!"**_ _She said with a grin._

"That is all I have to announce members of Pack David!" He declared.

" **Dismissed!"** Yara and Nera said proudly in unison.

Just as he and everyone began to leave, a Growlithe ran up to him and spoke up.

" **Pack Leader, the Elders request an audience with you!"** The Growlithe said.

"Alright, thank you very much." He said, and the Growlithe nodded and left.

" **Lovely, just when I had everything planned out…"** Lucy complained.

"Let's just go find out what the Elders want." He said politely.

" **If you ask me those old timers need to learn to get a life."** Karen said smugly.

 **(And you should learn to respect them more.)** Lancelot said stubbornly.

"How is Terrance by the way Lancelot?" He asked as they walked, while Nera and Yara went to their chamber to rest.

 **(He is quite well, he asked to talk to you about something when you get the chance.)**

"Does it have anything to do with the fact that his mate somehow found her way here?" He asked nervously.

A day before he and the others left for Pack Delica, the whole lake chamber was surprised at the appearance of 'another' Lapras rising to the surface. None more so than Terrance the water guardian. Terrance's mate had just left her pack, after their offspring had grown up, and followed in their father's footsteps, and found trainers to join on their journey. With no more family to tie her down and their pod obviously not journeying anywhere, Terrance's mate Serene had gone on a journey of her own, to find him.

Needless to say, this was a shocker for him, as how she found him was shocking, having traced his route, asking some water Pokemon, and listening to the words of people led her to that underwater route.

Since then Seren and Terrance have been talking, discussing, and conversing about things he felt he didn't want to talk about with 'them'.

" **Maybe he wants to ask Xerneas to let Serene join in our pact?"** Sophia asked hopefully.

" **I don't like where this is going."** Karen said.

He didn't like it either, but he wanted Terrance to be happy, and while he knew Terrance was happy having his 'family' with him, he knew he wanted his 'other family'. The one he sacrificed to find him and the others. The mate he left behind, to be with his friends from a past life.

They entered the meeting chamber of the Elders, Lancelot and Karen waiting outside while he, Lucy and Sophia went inside.

"Greetings Elders." He said to them.

" **Greetings Pack Leader… we have much to discuss."** Isis the Espeon Elder said calmly, staring at him with her blind eyes.

Twenty minutes later he had been caught up on all of the recent events that happened, the two Mightyena that found their way to his Pack's territory, Scar's actions and Pack Flare's aggressions against his pack. Finally, Isis' declaration that she had to go to Pack Flare, to speak for his pack and ensure the safety and future of Pack David.

He was not enthusiastic about the decision Isis had come to.

"Elder Isis, can't we send 'me' instead?" He asked politely. "I know your logic sounds… well 'sound'. But can we really risk you going? At your age…"

" **Yes… it sounds weird… but believe me, it is what it must be."** She said softly. **"Flare will not listen to the words of 'any' human, not even 'you'. However, he may listen to the words of an Elder, a Pokemon so old and weak, that it will offer no harm to him and poses no threat. If I cannot convince him to not listen to Scars words, and open his eyes to his treachery… then nobody will."**

"But… must you go?" He asked once ago.

The aging Espeon nodded sadly.

" **Yes, I must. My visions tell me I must go, they foresaw you becoming Pack Leader, they Foresaw you and Xerneas coming together and completing the bond, they foresaw the dangers of Scar and his ambitions… and they have foreseen my journey. I trust in my visions of the future… trust in me Leader…"**

He sighed again and looked at her.

"Very well… but you will take Lancelot and…"

" **No, I must not have your body guards Pack Leader!"** She said instantly, cutting off his words. **"They must stay here; my vision sees them more needed here… protecting you!"**

"But…" He began to say again, before being cut off.

" **I have already made arrangements for my guard… a young Espeon I am related to, he will be my escort."** She declared. **"That is all I need."**

He sighed quietly as he heard how much thought and planning she had put into this journey.

"Very well… if you must Isis…" He whispered nervously.

" **I must…"** She said with a smile.

Ten minutes later the pack had gathered upon hearing word that Elder Isis was leaving on a journey. Many offered to join her, to protect her, but she refused all, saying that she must go alone with her chosen bodyguard.

David was among them, as he watched her preparing to leave.

" **David… come close."** She whispered as she and her cousin, an Espeon called Alvin.

He kneeled to listen to her as she wearily put a paw on his leg.

" **David, Pack Leader David… I have lit your path, and lit the path of this pack… I know you doubt this journey, but please… believe in my words. I have guided us for many years, longer than you know."** She said warmly, amid the worried looks of all the pack members. **"I have guided you this far, but now you must light your own path… light 'our' pack's path while I am gone… I will return. Trust me."**

Then she smiled and managed a gentle, and very soft lick of his cheek, as she beckoned him to lean closer.

" **When you face the darkness, know that I have already 'lit' your path… remember that, my Pack Leader."** She whispered very quietly, so quietly only he could hear.

With that she coughed ever slightly and turned to her cousin. **"Ready Alvin?"**

" **I'm ready auntie!"** He said cheerfully. **"Don't worry leader, I will keep Auntie Elder Isis safe!"**

" **Keep that up and you'll get us in trouble!"** She chuckled, as she slowly walked to the entrance of the den.

" **Goodbye Elder Isis!"**

" **Come back safely Elder Isis!"**

" **Be safe Elder Isis!"**

Everyone cried and called those words, but David thought about her last words, and felt that she was saying them… as if she were saying her final goodbye to him.

He shook his head and watched the very old Espeon walking away, and called out in one loud voice.

"Goodbye Elder Isis, come back home soon!"


	37. Chapter 33

_*The cycle is forever, so long as life persists…*_

 _*When a new life is born, there is great Joy in the world…*_

 _*And when one is extinguished, the universe will weep…*_

= Chapter 33 – The Circle of Life =

(David's PoV)

" **David… did Elder Isis tell you anything about our Pup's future?"** Lucy asked him quietly.

"No Lucy, for the last time she didn't…" He said tiredly, trying to fall asleep after a long day and now even longer night.

" **But David… the egg should have come by now!"** She whispered nervously. **"What's taking it… what if something bad happened, and the egg isn't going to hatch?"**

"Lucy… the egg will come… when it comes…" He muttered.

It had been almost two weeks since Elder Isis had left the pack and den, and began her journey to Pack Flare's territory on Route 10, with only her nephew for protection. In that time, the pack had gained a new member, and he and the others in their 'pact' with Xerneas, had gained a new member in it as well in the form of Serene.

After talking with his mate, and then talking with him, David had gone to Xerneas and managed to convince the Life Giver to accept the Lapras into their pact. It took him many hours of discussing, debating, and arguing to convince the otherwise stubborn and solitary legendary, but after hearing about how distressed Terrance would be if he had to tell his mate goodbye 'again' while letting her know that he would outlive her, she finally caved in to his request.

With that done, Terrance finally was happy, and the memory of his lapras friend's happiness had given him happiness as well.

 _(Flashback)_

" _ **David!"**_ _Terrance yelled as he and Xerneas approached the lake._

" _Yes Terrance?" He asked politely as Serene watched him beside Terrance._

" _ **Has… Xerneas decided?"**_ _He asked nervously, glancing between him and the legendary._

 _He looked at Serene who was watching hopefully as well, and he could feel Terrance's fear through their pact. He was terrified at what Xerneas had decided, because out of all the members inside their small pact of immortals, she was the one who nobody could tell 'what' she was feeling or thinking. So, the fact that he had argued with the Life Giver, and nobody else knew what she was feeling, meant that none of them could figure out if she responded positively or negatively to what Terrance wanted, and what David has asked of her._

' _Heck, she kept giving Lucy permission to get pregnant a secret right up until it became obvious she was having a baby' he thought to himself._

" _Yes Terrance, she's made her decision, and it is final." He said calmly as they came to a stop._

 _He watched as Xerneas stepped forward to talk to the Lapras, and with a calm and gentle glance toward Serene, she closed her eyes and activated her horns, entering her 'active' state._

 _ **(I have decided, to grant you your request… your Trainer has argued your case well… and I give you my blessings… both of you.)**_ _She said as both the Lapras were bathed in a cascade of rainbow light._ _ **(I grant you eternal life, and eternal youth, water wife of David's team member… but I will not grant you young unless I decide it… but you may now share life with us… until the end of time, or death claim us all!)**_

 _David watched as Terrance swam back just enough so that he could watch Serene, the only other Lapras in the lake chamber as she became enveloped within the rainbow light. For a full minute she was stationary, looking between David and Terrance, before the light ended in a brilliant flash that blinded them all for a second._

 _When he could see again Serene was shaking her head in confusion, before she opened her eyes and revealed, an X mark just like theirs, in exactly the same eye as all of them._

" _ **Serene!"**_ _Terrance whispered in shock._

" _ **W… what does… what does this mean?"**_ _She asked nervously, looking at her fins and even her shell for some kind of change to herself._ _ **"I don't feel any different, what happened to me?"**_

" _Serene…" He said warmly, getting the female Lapras' attention. "Look at your reflection in the water."_

 _Glancing at Terrance her mate, who nodded in agreement, she did as David said and looked down at her reflection. She stared open mouthed and wide eyed as she beheld the simple change, yet its meaning ran so much deeper. Because she had that simple 'X' on her eye, she was now just like Terrance and David, and the rest of those bound to Xerneas within her pact._

" _ **So… now I'm… like you?"**_ _She asked, looking up with hope._ _ **"I will never die, I can live with my mate forever?"**_

" _ **Yes, my love, you don't have to worry about leaving me alone in this world anymore…"**_ _Terrance said happily, floating over and nuzzling his mate lovingly._ _ **"We can be together now, forever!"**_

" _ **But, what of our young, what will become of them?"**_

 _ **(As I told him, so I shall tell you, any offspring you produced before joining together in the bond that now ties us all, have been given a small piece of my life-giving power. They will live long and healthy lives, what lives they live though… is up to them. But no ill will befall them, they shall never suffer maladies of the flesh, and shall live to the ripest of old age…)**_

 _(Flashback ends)_

He sighed again and turned to his Absol lover and looked into her scared eyes with his tired and exhausted eyes. Her crimson eyes shone in their chamber with worry as she looked at him.

"Please, go to sleep Lucy, everything will be fine." He said again. "I promise, everything will be fine…"

" **How can you be sure?"** Lucy whispered nervously. **"We've never had an egg before… in fact I don't know of 'any' female Pokemon bearing the offspring of a human. What if something bad happens… or if our son is… mix breed? What if we give birth to a mutant?!"**

"Lucy…" He said with a deep sigh. "No matter what we give birth to… whether it's an Absol, a Human, or a 'mixture' of the two… I'll love it regardless."

" **As much as I love the conversation sincère, some of us are trying to 'sleep'!"** Sophia grunted in annoyance.

" **Sleep, sleep? Is that all you care about Sophia?"** Lucy growled back. **"I am carrying our lover's egg, in 'my' belly! This is the 'heir' to our pack we're talking about, the one who will lead our pack should David ever leave for any extended period! I have every right to be worried for something bad happening to our pup!"**

" **Well excuuuuuse me!"** Sophia growled, looking up from her bed. **"Xerneas didn't let 'me' get pregnant, and I'm tired… unlike 'you' who is a night owl!"**

" **Why I oughta…"** Lucy growled threateningly.

"Girls…" He said loudly, getting both of their attention. "It is late… tomorrow we'll talk to a female who has given birth and see what is up. Alright?"

Both of them were quiet for a moment before they agreed to sleep, much to his happiness.

As they both relaxed into bed again, he rolled onto his side and closed his aching eyes, burning with tiredness.

This was 'not' the first time Lucy has kept him awake at night with her worrying. While a part of him was also somewhat worried with how long his first 'son' was taking to come, nothing he said could help Lucy calm down. Even Xerneas, who told her that nothing would hurt her pup while 'she' was around, couldn't calm down the worried Absol.

In the morning, they woke up with Lucy badgering him to hurry up so they could find a mother who recently gave birth. They found to their surprise a 'Seviper' who had recently given birth, one of the original two whom David had allowed into the pack back before winter began.

" **For my species… the time it takes an egg to be delivered, varies from mother to mother."** She said politely while her mate waited for them to finish, so they could head to the den entrance and begin their duty. **"When I had my first batch, before I joined your pack, my young's eggs were within my body for six months before they came out. This next batch, they were only within me for five months before I gave birth to them. Right now, my eggs are incubating within the nursery, they will need time before they hatch."**

"So my Prime Mate simply has to keep waiting until the egg comes out to deliver?" He asked politely.

" **Yes my Pack Leader, that is what I would guess…"** The Seviper said warmly. **"Is that all you need of us?"**

"Yes, you may go."

The Seviper nodded and joined her mate before slithering off toward the den entrance with him.

"I guess we need to keep waiting Lucy." He said.

" **I guess…"** She muttered as they walked off down the tunnel toward the lake chamber.

" **You need to relax la femme de mon amant, perhaps if you ate something you might feel better."** Sophia barked.

" **I could use a good meal."** Lucy muttered.

"Same here." He said, though moments later he heard Karen calling out to him from behind.

" **Daaaaaavid!"** Karen yelled as she ran toward him, stick in tail and looking rushed.

(Karen's PoV)

Karen panted as she reached David and his two wives. She had spent the last hour in her chamber and only just noticed David had left his. Her early morning duty that Lucy had 'forced' upon her had ended, giving her barely time to relax.

' _ **I hate guarding foragers, we have more Pokemon who can do that. Why do 'I' a competitive bred and trained Braixen have to protect a couple of Eevees and Shinx against 'Wingulls' and 'Spearows'?'**_ She thought bitterly. _**'I am probably the strongest Pokemon in this den! Next to Xerneas… and maaaaybe Lancelot.'**_

Despite how powerful she was compared to 'all' of the pack's members, because she was assigned to guard so many foragers she had been hopping from group to group. Unlike the previous harvesting season 'before' winter, when she had only been assigned to guard a young Vulpix and an aging Ariados, now she's got twelve foragers to look after.

"Karen, are you alright?" David asked as she caught her breath.

" **I just wanted… to talk to you about something important."** She said, looking up at him.

"Alright what is it?" He asked, crossing his arms expectantly.

" **Uh, I'd rather talk about it in 'private'…"** She said, glancing at Lucy who was looking irritable.

" **If it's not important you can say it here Karen, as first Prime Mate whatever my mate needs to hear can be heard by me as well."** Lucy said.

" **Is it too much to ask for a starter to want to talk to her 'master' about something privately occasionally?"** Karen growled back. **"I've been on guard duty for four weeks straight without 'any' alone time with David! I only want to talk to him in private for a few minutes. Is that too much to ask?"**

Lucy growled at her as well as showing her fangs, and she looked ready to fight, but just then David walked over and picked her up into his arms. "It's alright Lucy, it's not like I'll be gone for long." He said calmly. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

With her in his arms they walked down the tunnel toward the empty meting chamber the Elders always used. Once inside he sat down at his usual spot and began scratching her behind her ears, causing her to coo slightly in delight.

"Alright, what is so important Karen?" David asked her.

She sighed and began playing with the Pokeball around his neck, her home that he always kept on him at her request.

" **David… I want to have my own kits someday…"** She muttered. **"I've decided… I really want a baby of my own with you."**

"Where did this come from?" He asked, causing her to look into his eyes.

" **Well… with Lucy getting knocked up…"** She said, trying to sound uncaring as she looked away and pretended to brush the idea off with a flick of her paw. **"I figured, 'if that 'disaster' Pokemon can get an egg, why can't your 'starter' get an egg with you?' I mean…"** She crossed her arms and huffed, causing some flames to shoot from her nostrils. **"I'm the starter, I should have first dibs on 'everything' when it comes to you, but I lose taking your first kiss, your virginity and your first kid to Lucy. How come you plow her regularly but don't even give me a peck on the cheek once in a…"**

Her words were silenced as she felt her head turned toward his face and felt his lips press against her own. She was only caught off guard for the tiniest of milliseconds, before she pushed into him, and submitted to his 'maleness' without further issues.

This is what she liked best about her master, when she put on that act, he listened to her demands and gave her what she wanted.

Still, feeling his soft lips against hers, feeling him scratching the back of her neck with one hand while the other held and rubbed one of her paws was a feeling she had really been missing.

After a few moments of this blissful exchange they separated and she was smiling at him with a faint blush. **"Better…"**

"Karen, what's the real reason you want an egg with me?" He asked her warmly.

She sighed and leaned into his chest, before placing a paw on her belly and rubbing it.

" **You see Master… I remembered something that… before now I didn't really care much about."** She said sadly. **"I don't know who my mother is… or my father. Yet I'm a competitively bred and trained Pokemon… I should know my lineage yet… I don't."**

She sighed and looked up at him.

" **Sure, you and Sophia know your parents, same with Lucy, Terrance and maybe Lancelot… but 'me'? Not one thing about my parents, not even their names. Before I didn't mind, because I was used to it but… Lucy being a mother now makes me wish… I knew my mother. And seeing Lucy with a baby… makes me want to be a mother myself… so that my kit will know who 'it's' mother is."** She sighed and snuggled closer to her master, hearing his heartbeat with her ears. **"I just want to be a mother now… and I want 'you' to be my baby's father. I want to proudly declare to all Pokemon that my baby's father is a human, and that I love him with my whole heart."**

" **I want the world to know, that I love my master… that I'm not his slave… that I want his egg, and that he loves me, and sees me as his equal, and he wants me to have 'his' egg… and not as some 'one time' flick in bed."** She whispered at last. **"Sure… sex is great with you… but… I want… more from you master. I want to one day… walk into your chamber, feel you lie down with me… and know that after we make love, an egg will be created… an egg we 'wanted' to create."**

"Do you really want to have 'my' kit Karen?" He asked her softly, holding her close and scratching her fur. "I mean… Xerneas only let Lucy have this one without us asking, I doubt she'll let us have another. But are you really sure you want to have an egg with 'me'?"

She nodded into his chest.

" **Don't 'you' want to have an egg with me?"** She asked honestly. **"I'm your starter… you can tell me… I want one with you because I love you… but… if you really… really don't want to… with me I mean."**

"Karen…" He said softly, lifting her chin to look into his eyes.

" **Yes?"** She whispered even more softly.

He leaned forward and kiss her warmly on the mouth again. It wasn't a kiss of passion, just romance. It was only to show affection, show how much he loved her, but its small meaning to her ran deep.

Once they separated again, she blushed as she waited his words, knowing he didn't whisper her name just to kiss her.

He only had to raise her to his level at any time to make out.

"Karen… I want you to have my kit…" He said warmly. "I want you to have my kit, Sophia my pup, and Lucy my child. I want all three of you to have my young… And I'll convince Xerneas to let me do that with you all."

His words warmed her heart, he did want to have babies with them all… with 'her'.

" **My baby maker's ready whenever your seed shooter is 'chief'…"** She said with a chuckle.

He chuckled as well as he scratched her head. "Well… before we start pumping eggs, let me first learn how to…"

She was about to ask why he stopped talking, when suddenly her lower nether region started burning and aching in pain.

Moments later, David was screaming and clutching his groin in agony. "Ugh…" He yelled as he suddenly curled up and held himself.

" **What is this pain!"** She yelled as she did the same, only crossing her legs and writhing in agony next to him.

(Lancelot's PoV)

He stood watch over the small pile of berries that made up the Winter Reserves, watching it alongside his beloved mate Lunara, who held him next to her body with her arms and leaning against his shoulder.

" **It is a small batch… but it will eventually grow bigger."** She whispered warmly. **"This is how it is every winter, our food is drained, and from a tiny pile… comes a mountain."**

He nodded in agreement as they stared at the tiny pile in the hole in the room. She had arranged the guard rotation so that they had two hours of personal freedom to themselves in that chamber. Nobody would be joining them for at least another hour.

They could be alone and do whatever they wished…

" **Have there been any disturbances in the tunnels?"** He asked.

She shook her head and snuggled closer. **"Nothing, all is quiet… the lower catacombs are secured, and no breaches have been found in the upper tunnels. I've told the others to check every hour and report anything different."**

He nodded and held her closer, enjoying the feeling of her cold, cool and slim body next to his.

For so long he's had to silently endure, ignore and pretend to be busy whenever David was like this with Lucy and Sophia, and now recently with Terrance and his mate Serene. Now, he could just sit there and enjoy that bubbling feeling he gets from being with his mate…

At least he 'should' be feeling that feeling.

Instead he began feeling a sudden pain between his legs, a pain that grew rapidly and began attacking him in huge bursts.

" **UUUgh!"** He yelled, collapsing to the ground and curling up into a ball of pain and agony.

" **Lancelot… what is wrong?"** Lunara asked, trying to lift him up but he shoved her away.

" **I… can't… TELL!"** He roared in pain, clutching his groin and trying desperately to fight the pain.

It was as if something was shoving its way through his body toward a spot between his legs, but the pain he was feeling made no sense.

All he knew was that it was hurting him far more than 'ANYTHING' he had ever felt before. Even being melted alive by a flamethrower didn't feel this bad.

(Terrance's PoV)

" **And so he goes and walks off with Karen to be alone!"** Lucy yelled bitterly as she dug into her food, ravenously attacking it with Sophia nearby watching her.

Beside him Serene his beloved mate and fellow Lapras of the underground lake chamber floated, watching the prime mate with a mixture of respect and caution. He had told her of the pack's rules, the hierarchy, and her station in regard to how high up the chain she was in the pack in relation to everyone else.

After the explanation, she had regarded everyone as if they were her better, a habit she never lost since he left her with their old pod. She was always the first to be submissive and let others take the lead, preferring not to voice her opinions and remaining quiet. Even now when she was considered 'high' in the pack because she was a Water Guardian alongside him, she acted as if she were the lowest on the pole.

" **Lucy, Karen 'is' his starter in our previous life. I think she does deserve some alone time with him."** He said with a chuckle, knowing Lucy was just grumpy because of her egg.

" **Yea I know… but I'M his Prime Mate, I should be with him at all times!"** She growled, chowing down. **"He's probably fucking that Braixen right now… probably filling up her pussy with his dick… making her moan… and releasing inside of her…"**

" **I think that's a little too much information for us even by 'your' standards darling…"** Sophia barked nervously.

" **Yes… maybe… keep it to yourself?"** Serene asked nervously.

" **I don't care, I want him to…"** She began saying before she stopped.

They all just stared as she opened her eyes wide for the briefest of moments, then she screamed in pain as she rolled onto her side.

" **AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"** She yelled, curling and screaming, breathing heavily as her chest rose and fell rapidly.

He was about to ask what was wrong when simultaneously, three collected screams of pain and agony sounded in the lake chamber. One from both Sophia and Serene, and the third from himself.

He felt his stomach and lower body screaming in pain, as if something were being 'pushed' through his stomach to leave him. His insides were screaming in agony as instinct told him that something was seriously wrong.

As if he shouldn't be feeling this feeling.

" **What is happening!?"** Sophia screamed through the pain to them.

" **UUUUUUUUUGH!"** Lucy yelled.

He managed to open his eyes and look at Lucy, before he saw what was happening.

He saw that she had spread her legs slightly, while she was lying sideways. And though she was panting heavily, gasping for breath, he saw that a small space between her legs, her nether region… was expanding.

And he watched… as something pure white, smooth, and rounded began pushing past the lips of her pussy to leave her.

Comprehension dawned as he watched.

' _ **She's giving birth…'**_ He thought painfully. _**'It's time… her and David's pup… it's finally arriving!'**_

(David's PoV, fifteen minutes later)

He walked through the crowd of Pokemon with Karen right behind him. Word had spread rapidly throughout the pack, so fast that everyone within the pack had been told. Even the Onix who lived far below the pack's chambers had been told, and not a single member remained anywhere within Pack David's territory that hadn't rushed to the Lake Chamber to witness the miracle.

The birth of the Pack Leader's offspring.

As he walked pack members parted and watched quietly as he made his way toward his wife, who was lying on her side near the water's edge, where two Lapras, a Furfrou, and a Lucario were standing watch over her.

He had only just come back from sending Serena the good news, and had just welcomed her to the pack entrance two minutes ago.

Apparently, she had been shopping nearby and rushed over as fast as she could, and now his old Rival stood nearby watching the beautiful scene before her, her own Pokemon outside and watching.

"Lucy?" He asked as he neared his Absol lover.

Lucy wearily looked up and smiled at him, nodding at him and beckoning him toward her with another nod.

As he walked around her he saw the egg lying next to her belly, a round oval egg with white and black markings on it.

" **Hi my beloved…"** She whispered gently, her voice soft and tired.

He sat down next to her and scratched Lucy's head, before nervously touching and feeling the egg she was holding close to her.

"We did it…" He whispered sweetly to her, unable to believe that there was really an egg before him.

" **We did it my love…"** She said happily as he took the egg and held it in his lap. **"It took me… two life times… but at last… my dream came true. I've become a mother… with 'your' child…"**

He nodded as he smiled and held the egg closer, feeling his heart race as he thought about how he was holding his child. It was a strange feeling, he was so happy, so proud, and he realized that he was holding a miracle.

Then he felt the egg shake a little, and heard a squeak inside.

In surprise, he put the egg down and watched with everyone else, as the egg shook a few times, then cracked, and heard the squeaks within.

"So soon?" He asked Lucy as he watched the cracks grow.

" **I incubated the egg within my belly this entire time…"** She whispered tiredly. **"I guess our baby… wanted to meet its daddy… before hatching!"**

He watched as the cracks widened, and then a piece of the egg broke off, revealing the smallest of horns… an Absol's horn.

Only it was orange.

" **No way… a 'shiny'?"** Karen whispered incredulously. **"But the odds of breeding a shiny are 1 in 8192… and on the 'first try'?"**

Meanwhile he and the others were busy watching as the baby Absol slowly broke out of the egg, and crawled out to land in front of David's knees. It looked up at him with its orange face, and looked at him with eyes that could only be described as having all the colors of the rainbow in them. It was like looking into a color wheel with every color represented in each eye.

Yet the moment it saw him, it began pining and squeaking.

" **Aaaaabsol?"** It squeaked.

"Huh?" He asked as he gently, and carefully, picked up the baby Absol, holding it lovingly in his arms.

" **Aaaaaaaab…"** It squealed again, smiling and rubbing his cheek.

Moments later Serena walked over with her team and stared at the little baby. "I guess because it's so young, and doesn't know how to talk, that the translator can't actually 'translate' anything it saying."

" **Wow…"** Her male Absol lover whispered in wonder.

" **Beautiful…"** Her Meowstic said.

" **Incredible…"** Her Flareon whispered.

" **Astounding…"** Her Greninja croaked.

" **It's a miracle…"** Her Altaria chirped.

While they all crowded around him and the newborn, Karen his Braixen pushed through and looked up at him. **"Chief, can I have a quick look?"** She asked warmly, holding her paws out to carry the pup.

He looked to Lucy who nodded in approval, and he carefully handed off his first child to her.

Karen gently held the pup in her paws before first feeling its fur, then lifted it up and look at its nether region. She then lowered it and felt its horn, then its claws, and finally began moving its legs ever so slightly so they bent. The baby Absol squealed and barked in discomfort, but Karen ignored as she checked the tail and felt its fur again.

" **Alright… I can safely say you have a male Absol chief."** She said proudly. **"A perfect 5 iv son… how it got 5 I don't know, but it's got outstanding potential 'Big D'."**

She was about to hand off his son to him when the baby Absol began crying and squealing.

" **A perfect 5 iv, 'hungry', son mind you…"** She whispered.

Lucy chuckled as Karen put his son on the ground next to Lucy, who watched as he stumbled toward her.

' **It's alright baby… mommy's right here…"** She whispered sweetly, watching as he found her chest. **"That's right… drink up… mama's milk right here for you…"**

Everyone chuckled softly as they watched the baby feed, and David sat down and scratched Lucy's ear. "We did it Lucy…" He whispered, hearing their baby suckling on his mother's tit for milk. "We actually did it…"

" **Yes, we did… we really did…"** She whispered lovingly, before looking up with a soft and tired smile. **"What shall we call him?"**

He thought for a moment while he watched his son, before a name came to mind.

"Sycamore." He said. "He started me on my journey with Karen… without him… I'd never have met any of you… and none of us… would be here. Especially 'him'."

" **Sycamore… I like it…"** Lucy said lovingly, looking down at the baby Absol. **"Welcome to the world… our little… 'Sycamore'."**

(Isis' PoV)

" **Auntie Isis… are you sure this is the right way?"** Her younger cousin 'Alvin' asked tiredly.

" **You complain too much my cousin…"** She whispered with a chuckle. **"We are nearing our destination… be patient."**

" **But we've been walking for weeks… weeks!"** He complained again. **"We should have seen a sentry by now."**

They had indeed been walking for weeks, the journey to Pack Flare's territory had been a very long and arduous journey for her. It was a journey she knew she had to take, lest the fate of so many be altered and the destiny of all life be destroyed.

Throughout their journey, she had much difficulty walking, at times barely able to endure ten minutes of walking before needing to rest. But, despite how little progress they made some days, her cousin remained patient and loyal to his duty, keeping her safe and letting her rest.

" **What are you in such a rush my cousin?"** She said with a smile. **"We will reach our destination… be patient… it will not go away."**

" **Yes, but I worry something 'bad' might happen the longer we take."** He countered. **"You know Scar might attack us, what if he pretends we're an invasion?"**

Isis chuckled at that thought, even though it might very well come true. Still, she had to alleviate her cousin's fears.

" **Oh yes… an elderly Espeon… barely able to walk for ten minutes before needing to rest… and a young Espeon, barely capable of using a confusion attack… against the whole of Pack Flare… what a terrifying force we must appear to be."**

This was true, her cousin, though charming, clever, and quick to fight, could barely concentrate enough psychic energy to use his powers properly. Still, he knew how to fight, she could give him that.

" **Auntie! You said you wouldn't bring that up!"** He said in embarrassment.

She looked at her cousin and smiled, seeing him as this purple glowing light next to her.

" **Like 'you' said you wouldn't bring up my age?"** She shot back. **"What do I always tell you cousin, it's a cardinal rule, even among 'us' female Pokemon. Like a human once told 'his' friend…"**

" **Yea, yea… I know… never talk about a female's age…"** He muttered.

They continued to walk for a few minutes in silence, before she heard the sound of a river flowing, and smelled the scent of water and trees in the air. She would have liked to keep going, but her legs were starting to shake and she needed to rest.

" **Let us rest here…"** She whispered tiredly.

" **I'll find us some food…"** Alvin whispered. **"I hate this task… of all the pack members she could have picked…"**

She chuckled as he complained, walking away from their chosen spot while she sat down and rested her legs.

She knew he despised sitting so often, but she also knew that he knew that she was 'old' and needed to rest.

He was a caring Espeon, who loved his auntie, loved his pack, and cared for his family. 'Especially' his family… in particular his sister who became Flareon, whom he loved so much that they were secretly mating.

While she herself tried to council them from such a relationship, she could not object to it since she herself was the product of her mother mating with her very own father. Plus she had known the two of them had been in love with one another, it was obvious since a young age the two Eevees cared for one another deeply, but she could not have forseen that brother and sister would end up choosing to mate with each other.

It reminded her of a certain brother and sister pair that were also familiar with the practice. The bodyguards and advisors to Pack Leader David, Yara and Nera. The Meowstic pair had mated each other over the years during Scar's reign, as a way to protect Nera from mating him during her heat.

While she would council them, they did not seek it, so she left them to their own devices, but she could see it in the eyes of Nera. Each time the female Nera laid eyes on her brother, they were softer, gentler, more caring than when they saw another male.

Thinking of her pack, she sighed quietly, wishing she could see them now. What was happening, how was Pack Leader David's pup, had it been born yet, was it a son or a daughter? She believed and foresaw that it would indeed be a son, yet that doubt remained, she didn't know for sure it would indeed be a son.

Thinking of Prime Mate Lucy giving birth, made her wish she too had found a compatible mate. But alas, her duty to the pack, her desire to serve the pack, and her impairment fighting 'for' the pack, had resulted in her having a life of no mating. True she had been in heat a few times, but because she was blind, few males found her 'desiring'… and as such, no male wanted her. Not even her Pack Leaders…

Thinking about her life, she wished now more than ever, that she had wooed Elder Yin when he was in his prime… but alas she was 'older' than he… and she figured he might prefer a younger female. And so, she restrained, and restrained… and kept restraining until it was too late, and she was too old to bare pups, and thus her sexual charm was lost to all the males in the pack.

Thus, she was the oldest 'virgin' in the Pack.

" **Such a strange thing… one who mates… and one who 'doesn't' mate… what a strange life the two live. How so very different the two are…"** She whispered to herself as she heard grunting and something dragging.

 **(What is Auntie Isis?)** Her cousin's voice asked in her mind.

 **(That you have yet to make an egg with your sister.)** She chided mentally. **(Honestly my young cousin, at your age my 'mother' had given birth to three eggs with her father! But you and your sister are in the prime of your youth, and not one egg?)**

" **Auntie!"** He yelled. **"Stop it… we're just… waiting… is all."**

" **For permission from the pack leader?"** She chuckled. **"He has given you all permission, breed as you wish, you've already claimed her enough that no other males bother with her. Just hurry up and hatch an egg so I can have a look at another generation of my bloodline before I pass away!"**

She heard him mumble, electing another chuckle while she heard something dragging across the grass. **"Here's lunch… I can't find much food to forage… I think Pack Flare forages this place extensively."**

" **Naturally…"** She whispered wisely.

They ate in silence while she used her powers to sense around, just making sure they were safe. Her powers were far stronger than Alvin's, but she didn't want to let him know that she was protecting 'him'. His pride as a male would be hurt if he knew 'she' was protecting 'him' and not the reverse.

" **So… when 'will' you two have an egg?"** She asked politely.

There was silence while she continued to eat, content to wait and let her cousin answer at his time. After a few minutes of silent eating she heard him sigh.

" **We are going to try this spring… so… maybe in a few weeks when it's her heat cycle. I'll mate with her again and… hopefully…"**

She nodded in understanding, happy to know that her cousin was going to try and produce an offspring of his own.

It made her feel warm inside.

" **I hope I'll see your pup Alvin…"** She whispered sadly.

" **Of course you will Auntie!"** He said knowingly. **"Once we get back, you can rest all you want, and then in a few months' time, you'll hear me jumping with joy to mom that I have an egg of my own!"**

She wished she could be so ignorant, but she chuckled and smiled at her cousin, she couldn't reveal the future.

The inevitable future that was 'hers' to face.

" **You're right, and then I can complain to you when you visit my chamber before I need to speak to the Pack Leader!"**

They both chuckled at that and finished eating lunch.

All the while, she watched her surroundings, and saw the shapes moving closer. She knew they were being watched, and knew that they were surrounded.

She knew… they weren't here to escort them, they were here to kill them.

After a few minutes they prepared to leave, and then heard a twig snap, instantly alerting her cousin.

" **Who's there?"** He yelled, going into a defensive posture next to her. **"Show yourself!"**

She heard rustling of leaves and bushes, and watched as several red and yellow shapes moved into range, as they grew closer she deduced they looked like Mightyena and Houndooms. Yet one color she saw was so recognizable that she spotted it almost instantly, before the others even registered on her vision.

" **If you are Pack Flare, we come here on diplomatic terms to speak to Pack Leader Flare from Pack David!"** Alvin said.

" **Any intruders are to be killed on sight!"** One of them barked. **"Take them…"**

" **Stay back, I'm warning you!"** Alvin yelled fiercely.

" **Alvin… close your eyes… now… do as I say!"** She whispered calmly.

She didn't wait to hear him respond, instead she began channeling her power and focused it into the jewel on her forehead. From there she focused and moments later, released her attack.

A powerful Dazzling Gleam.

 **(DAZZLING GLEAM!)** She mentally shouted, as her power vanished, spreading out into the world.

She gasped in pain as she panted heavily, the strain of channeling her power was a lot for her, so much that even though it was just one attack, her heart was racing and beating three times its normal rate.

Yet it did the job by the sounds around her.

" **My eyes!"** One voice yelled.

" **I can't see… where am I?!"**

" **Where… where are you!?"**

From around her the sounds of Mightyena and Houndooms barking and yipping in pain, as they stumbled around and tried to find their footing, each one wandering away as they couldn't figure out where they were.

" **Hah… hah… hah…"** She panted heavily, unable to speak properly.

" **Auntie… can I look now?"** Alvin asked nervously.

" **Yes… you… can…"** She panted.

" **Whoa… what happened?"** Alvin asked in shock.

" **I'll tell you what happened!"** A voice roared, a voice that belonged to none other than Scar.

She watched his aura, the color of 'him' approach from the front, and panted as she saw the path her future was taking. A road that could not be changed, a meeting destined to happen, one she knew… would end in death.

" **Scar… how dare you reveal yourself!"** Alvin yelled, jumping in front of her.

" **How dare 'I'?"** Scar growled. **"How dare 'you'… kill my son… how dare you allow 'my' pack… to keep a HUMAN in charge of it… how dare YOU…OVERTHROW ME!"**

She panted as she watched and waited, knowing at any moment Scar's short temper would snap, and he'd lose control.

" **Alvin… 'run'… run and don't look back… until you know it is safe!"** She whispered.

" **But Auntie!"** Alvin shouted. **"I have to protect you, we need to get to Flare!"**

" **That path has ended… there is no way we will make it with Scar here… now 'run'… do as I say!"** She panted, stepping forward with shaky steps. **"You are no match for Scar… and in my state… I do not know… how long I can last against him… in battle! So please… run… you must carry on our line… you must light our pack's path… our pack 'must' have a light my cousin… whether it is mine… or yours… now go… GO!"**

She watched her cousin hesitate, and slowly start to run away, leaving her to face Scar… the shadow of flame from her vision alone.

" **Isis… Elder Isis… the 'Light of the Pack'…"** Scar growled tauntingly. **"It was said… that your Dazzling Gleam… was so powerful… that it could blind a Pokemon miles away who saw the gleam of your light. Your power was so bright, that it could light the entire underground den, when there was not a light to be found… and the fact you blinded the sentries is proof of that."**

She panted as she watched and waited. It was true, her power could do that, but only in her prime. As she was now, just casting it once was enormously taxing. She barely managed to properly prepare her Dazzling Gleam, and it was her only weapon she had to defend herself, and it was one she had only as a last resort.

" **Scar… you have refused my council… you ignored my warnings… you have no right to 'our' pack."** She declared. **"You are not my pack leader, nor will you ever reclaim the position… so long as you are blinded in rage."**

" **I will take it back you 'infertile'."** He growled. **"When I bring proof to Flare of your 'invasion'… he'll send his pack into a war against you… I'll take back my position… and when I do… I'll take over Flare… and then Delica… and ALL of the packs!"**

She panted heavily as she steadied her legs as best she could. The journey had worn her out, her legs were shaking, her breath taxing, her body aching. Yet still… she knew she had to stop him, his rage, his blind hatred, his need for power was burning with a flame that could not be matched.

She saw through her eyes Scar was wrapped in a sea of flames, a flaming aura that threatened to swallow all it touched.

He had to be stopped… and she was the only one who could at that exact moment.

" **For your crimes… for the crimes against my pack… against all life you would commit… you must be stopped…"** She panted, gathering her powers once more. **"It may cost me my life… but for your sins… the lives you've ended, the mothers you've broken… the males you've slaughtered… for all you have done to Pack 'David'… I will BLIND your ambition… if it is the last thing I do!"**

Scar chuckled heartily as she readied her attack. **"You know… your lucky you're an Elder… Isis…"** He muttered as he took one step forward. **"Because you're so old… you're not even worth RAPING!"** He leapt at her, his mouth wrapped in flames and claws extended. **"DIE!"**

She gathered her power one final time, and released it at once.

" **DAZZLING GLEEEEEEEEEAM!"**

(Xerneas' PoV)

Meanwhile… at Pack David, in the den… while all the pack celebrated, none of them noticed Xerneas… eyeing a small aging flower in her chamber. The flower had only bloomed a month ago, yet it alone seemed to have grown old the fastest. While outside her cave the sounds of laughter, congratulations, cheering and celebrations took place at the birth of the Pack Leader's first born son, heir to the Pack's leadership… she alone watched the flower, bend over at the stem, and its petals fell off… one by one.

At that exact moment.

 **(The Cycle of life… when new is born… there comes great joy… when old life ends… all the universe… weeps…)** She declared sadly, nuzzling the flower with her muzzle, watching as a seed began to grow next to it, to take the old flower's place in her chamber.


End file.
